PEARS. 25 



PEARS. 



[Chinese name, "Li."] 

 CULTIVATED VARIETIES. 



Next to the peach, the pear (Pyrus chinensis) is probably the most 

 highly appreciated fruit of northern China. Numerous varieties are 

 grown, but not all of them are fit to be introduced into our western 

 lands as acquisitions, for many of them are but seedlings and produce 

 worthless fruit. 



The Chinese grow their pears for the greater part on terraced 

 fields and patches in the mountains; but in some regions, as to the 

 south of Peking, where the soil is sandy and is easily blown about, 

 one finds whole orchards of good pears growing upon the plains. 



There is a story current among the foreign residents in China that 

 a certain newcomer was asked his opinion of the Chinese pears. 

 "Well," he said, "it depends on what you eat them as; as turnips 

 they are certainly fine, but as pears I would rather not express any 

 opinion." This statement is true so far as the greater number of 

 the Chinese pears is concerned, but there are a few very good ones in 

 China that are well worth cultivation by western people. 



The best pear of northern China is, in the opinion of the writer, 

 the quince pear, or, in Chinese, "Ya kwam li." This pear attains a 

 large size, often weighing more than one-half pound; has a some- 

 what warty, dull-yellow skin, looks and smells like a quince, and has 

 flesh that is mellow, juicy, and aromatic. It is considered so good 

 that it is served upon the tables of foreign hotels in Peking and 

 Tientsin. These pears do not bear rough shipment very well, but 

 when carefully handled they can be kept for the greater part of a year. 

 The trees prefer a sandy soil and are of a spreading habit, so that they 

 require a great deal of space. (S. P. I. Nos. 17724 and 21253.) 

 There is also a smaller variety similar to this, which is not much 

 grown, as the fruit does not bring so good a price as the large variety 

 does. (S. P. I. No. 17725.) 



The second-best pear is the so-called "Peking pear," or, in Chinese, 

 "Pai li," meaning white pear. This pear is round like an apple, with 

 a short peduncle, a waxy, yellowish-white color, and has mellow 

 flesh of a sweet flavor, resembling that of our own pears very much. 

 It ripens late and, being a poor keeper, disappears very quickly 

 from the markets. There is some variation in the size of the fruit on 

 different trees. Some are very small, others large, but in general 

 this Pai li is rather a small-sized fruit. (S. P. I. Nos. 16916, 17723, 

 and 22432.) 



64262°— Bui. 204—11 4 



