North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Thomas Beckett <thomas@tbeckett.com>]

Last month I had the opportunity to speak to an orchard fruit expert 
from NCSU, and asked him about growing pears in North Carolina.  I'm 
interested in using pears in cider and/or blended with apple cider.  He 
told me that pears are not commercially viable in North Carolina because 
of the fireblight risk.  Pears are apparently much too susceptible, and 
fireblight is endemic and  spreads easily in our relatively humid climate.

I've been mulling this over, and have a couple of questions for the 
collective wisdom of NAFEX:
- Are pears any more at risk for fireblight than some types of dwarfing 
apple rootstock such as M26?
- Are their heirloom "old Southern" pear varieties that are resistant to 
fireblight and might be cultivated here on a small scale?

Many thanks, in advance, for y'all's thoughts.

Thomas Beckett
Durham/Hendersonville