North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[charles paradise <machelp@attglobal.net>]

Here in zone 5 Massachusetts I stopped at the Chinese grocery to buy tea and 
soybean sprouts,
and picked up a fresh yellow pear grown in China named a "Ya Pear" [so the 
sticker on the pear
said.]  I understand this is an Asian Pear [although it has a pyriform shape 
elongated shape
somewhat like a european pear.]

A few questions for those of us unfamiliar with the Asian pears:

1] Is this pear a product of southern hot or northern cold China?

2] Does anyone know for sure what variety this pear is?   If not, how about a 
guess?

3] Are Asian pears grown as far north as Massachusetts?  Do you feel they are 
less/as much
as/more worth growing than european type pears?

4]  Would Asian pears of this type need intensive pest help like apples or 
would Asian pears of
this type be as resistant to pests as some of the european type pears we grow 
here?

Thanks in advance to whoever for attempting to answer.

Charlie Paradise