overheated, as in a car, and to remaining hot for too long a time after processing. The difference in the condition of imperfectly developed and overheated fruit is easily determined under the microscope. In the former case it is rare to have more than one or two pieces in a can, and then only in occasional cans. When due to prolonged heating, more pieces and cans show this defect in appearance."

The sirup used on pears is as follows: Fancy 40%, choice 30%, standard 20%, seconds 10%. The cut-out of the sirup will be: Fancy 26%, choice 22%, standard 16%, seconds 12% water 8%.

The exhausting of pears should be at 180° F. for small cans and 190° F. for No. 10 cans and the processing will be at 212° F. as follows: No. 1 cans exhaust for 5 min. and process for 12 min.; No. 21⁄2 cans exhaust for 6 min. and process for 14 to 16 min.; No. 10 cans, sirup grade, exhaust for 10 min. and process for 17 min.; No. 10 pie grades exhaust 10 min. and process 30 min. In processing pears the cook should continue until the shadow of the finger can be seen through the fruit. In cooling the cans after processing great care should be taken to have them thoroughly chilled. This is more important than in any other variety of fruit, for if not thoroughly chilled there will be danger of the fruit turning to a pinkish shade, which spoils its sale as a high-grade product.

The production of pears in the factory should be not less than 48 cans to every 100 pounds of fruit and 40 cases per ton of fruit, with 25 pounds of fruit required to pack one dozen No. 21⁄2 cans. The loss in packing should never exceed 42%.

The percentage of grades packed should run as follows: Fancy 15%, choice 52%, standard 24%, seconds 2%, water and pie grades 7%.

The description of the grades of pears as adopted by the Canners' League of California is as follows:

Fancy Grade: Not less than 6, not more than 12 pieces per No. 21⁄2 can. No single parcel should vary more than 4 pieces per No. 21⁄2 can. Fruit to be of very fine color, ripe yet not mushy, and free from blemishes serious for the grade, halves uniform in size and very symmetrical.

Choice Grade: Not less than 6, not more than 15 pieces

per No. 21⁄2 can. No single parcel should vary more than 5 pieces per can. Fruit to be of fine color, ripe yet not mushy and free from blemishes serious for the grade, halves uniform in size and symmetrical.

Standard Grade: Not less than 6, not more than 21 pieces per No. 21⁄2 can. No single parcel should vary more than 6 pieces per can. Fruit to be of reasonably good color, ripe yet not mushy, and reasonably free from blemishes serious for the grade, halves reasonably uniform in size and reasonably symmetrical.

Second Grade: No size limits. Fruit to be tolerably free from blemishes serious for the grade and tolerably uniform in size.

Pie Grade: No size limits. Wholesome fruit unsuited for above grades.

DRAIN WEIGHT OF PEARS

Under date of July 20, 1919, the Department of Agriculture issued a circular adopting the following cut-out weights for canned pears. Drain for 2 minutes on a 18-inch mesh screen. Weights are for sanitary cans and are in

ounces.

No. 1, 10.5-oz.; No. 2, 13-oz.; No. 22, 19-oz.; No. 3, 22-oz. (44 by 47% inches); No. 3, 22.5-oz. (44 by 5 inches); No. 10, 67-oz.

A can of size not mentioned above should yield a drained weight of pears which bears the same relation to the drained weight indicated above for the can nearest in size as that existing between the capacities of the cans in question. The above weights refer only to relatively firm pears in halves. In the case of soft and broken halves, these weights can and should be exceeded. If sugar is used as such instead of sirup in packing pears, the sugar should be added in such a manner as to cause no reduction in the amount of pears which could have been placed in the can in case sirup instead of sugar had been added.

While the above weights represent in general properly filled cans, variation in the character of the pears may, in some cases, cause a variation from these weights. It is the primary purpose, however, of the bureau in issuing this letter to secure the packing of a full can and cans should in all cases contain the greatest amount of pears which it is

possible to pack therein without impairment of quality regardless of the exact drained weight obtained.

In making declarations under the net weight requirement of the Federal Food and Drugs Act, the total weight of the contents of the can, liquid included, should be declared; this bureau will regard as in violation of the act interstate shipments of pears in tins which are not filled to the maximum capacity consistent with maintenance of quality.

A description of the varieties of pears listed as suitable for canning purposes follows:

BARTLETT: The most popular pear grown. Originated in Berkshire, England, in 1770. Named in this country by Enoch Bartlett, of Dorchester, Mass. This pear is so well known it hardly needs a description. Matures perfectly when picked green. Fruit is large and oblong; skin very thin and smooth, clear golden yellow (with a soft blush on the sunny side in exposed specimens); rarely marked with faint russet; flesh white and fine grained; full of juice, sweet and with a highly perfumed, vinous flavor. Ripens in August. KIEFFER: This variety of pear is rarely canned on the Pacific Coast. The fruit is large to very large; skin golden yellow, with a bright vermilion cheek; flesh brittle and very juicy; quality good for canning but not a good dessert variety. Ships and keeps well. Ripens late, in fall.

SECKEL: The richest and best flavored variety known. Not canned to any extent of recent years as the Bartlett has almost eliminated other varieties, especially in California. The Seckel is sometimes canned whole and for display purposes in glass as its size makes it very attractive prepared in this manner.

Fruit is small and regularly formed; skin brownish green at first, becoming dull yellowish brown, with a lively russet red cheek; flesh white and very juicy, sweet and melting with a rich spicy aroma. Ripens August to October.

COLD STORAGE PEARS

The following notes on the cold storage of Bartlett pears are taken from "Investigations in the Ripening and Storage of Bartlett Pears," by J. R. Magness of the United States Department of Agriculture.

If the pears are left on the trees until they are fully ripe, they are of a very inferior quality. Very often the inside is

soft and decayed before the outside becomes yellow; or if the inside does remain sound, it becomes coarse and granular and has a very inferior texture.

Usually no fruit is harvested until it reaches 24 to 23% inches in diameter and the ease with which the stem separates from the branch, and the plumpness of the fruit, or the degree to which the blossom end is smoothly rounded out, the extent to which the sides of the loculus, or seed cavities, have drawn away from the seeds and the depth to which the tissue crushes when pressed in by the finger are used to determine when the fruit has developed sufficiently to ripen in good condition if removed from the tree. Bartlett pears when ripened off the tree become soft and full yellow in color.

There is usually a period of six weeks or more, between the time at which the first commercial picking is now made and the time the fruit becomes ripe on the tree, consequently there is a possibility of considerable variation in the time at which the fruit may be removed from the tree in a green, firm condition, and still ripen without shriveling.

The first consideration of the canner should be the securing of a high-quality product by leaving the fruit on the trees until well developed. Pears picked very early are low in the natural fruit sugars and are of very inferior quality whether eaten fresh or canned. A high-grade canned product can be secured only by using a high quality of fruit.

If this is done it becomes necessary for the canner to store part of his season's supply. If certain conditions of storage are being carried out, the keeping of Bartlett pears in storage, even up to two months, and still securing a highquality product is a practical certainty. These conditions may be summarized as follows:

1. Use only well-developed fruit for storage. Early pickings tend to "scald" or turn brown and decay much faster when removed from storage.

2. Put fruit into storage immediately after it is picked. The maximum time that should elapse between picking and storing should not be more than three or four days. Much loss in pears in cold storage occurs because the fruit is in an almost soft, ripe condition when put in.

3. Fruit should be cooled as quickly as possible after

being placed in storage. The fruit will cool somewhat more slowly than the air, although if the fruit is loose in lug boxes, it will follow the air temperature rather closely.

4. An even temperature should be maintained. Do not put warm fruit into a room in which other fruit, already cooled, is being held. Cool off the warm fruit first, then put it in the room for holding. This is well worth while if the fruit is to be held for any length of time.

5. The temperature should be held down to 28 or 30 degrees F. if a long storage period is desired. Well developed Bartlett pears will store at this temperature, ripen in excellent condition if removed at any time up to two or three months, and give a high-quality product. If it is desired to hold the fruit for only a few weeks, somewhat higher temperatures are permissible; but even for short storage periods a low temperature, followed by the removal of the fruit and ripening at outside air temperature, gives a better product.

6. The cooling capacity of the storage plant should not be overtaxed. It is possible in the case of Bartlett pears to "store on the tree" to a very marked extent. Two weeks time on the tree makes only a small difference in the length of time pears will remain sound after removing from the tree, so it is not necessary to pick the entire crop within a very short time. Other factors such as the amount of drop, load on the trees, etc. must be considered.

There is a marked and quite uniform increase in total sugar in Bartlett pears from early summer until after the time of the close of the commercial picking season. The increase during the latter part of the season is mainly due to an accumulation of sucrose, while the earlier increase is due mainly to reducing sugar.

Pears ripened at 70° F. contained the highest percentage of sugar, those ripened at 40° F. possessed the lowest total sugar content and those held at 30° F. for from six to fourteen weeks and then ripened at room temperature were intermediate in amount of total sugar.

Percentage of titratable acid in the fruit tended to decrease in fruit from the California sections as the season advanced, while it tended to increase in that from Oregon and Washington.

There was an increase in acid between the time of picking