UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
|B BULLETIN No. 1072 HK 
Washington, D. C. T June 17, 1922 
THE HANDLING, SHIPPING, AND COLD STORAGE 
OF BARTLETT PEARS IN THE PACIFIC COAST 
STATES. 1 
By J. R. Magness, Plant Physiologist, Office of Horticultural and Pomological 
Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Introduction 1 
Distribution of Bartlett pear grow- 
ing in the Pacific Coast States 3 
Handling fruit for shipment in a 
fresh state 3 
Page. 
Handling fruit for the canneries 12 
The cold storage of Bartlett pears 13 
Storage temperature 13 
Pear scald 15 
Summary 16 
INTRODUCTION. 
During recent years there has been a very considerable increase 
in the acreage devoted to the growing of pears on the Pacific coast. 
These plantings have been distributed in various parts of California, 
Oregon, and Washington. Careful estimates indicate that the pro- 
duction of pears will increase fully 50 per cent within the next five 
or six years. 
Of the varieties of pears grown on the Pacific coast the Bartlett 
far outranks all others combined. It is a safe estimate that more 
than 50 per cent of all pears grown in Washington and Oregon are 
of this variety, while in California, the heaviest pear-producing State 
in the Union, probably 75 per cent of all pears grown are Bartletts. 
Furthermore, although the so-called winter varieties, coming into 
market following the Bartlett season, are increasing in popularity 
in some of the cooler growing sections, the Bartlett is practically 
the only variety being planted in ]\rge quantities in those districts 
in which it reaches its highest quality. 
1 This bulletin gives the result of a portion of the work carried on under the project 
" Factors Affecting the Storage Life of Fruit." 
94444—22 
