PERRY, a village of Wyoming county, New York, U.S.A., on Silver lake, 35 m. S.W. of Rochester; served by the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh railway. Pop. 193o Federal census 4,231. It has large knitting mills, a condensed-milk plant and other manufacturing industries. Silver lake is a summer resort. The village was founded about 1814 and was incorporated in 183o. PERRY, an alcoholic beverage made from pears. Made by the vinous fermentation of pear juice, perry is a product bearing the same relation to the pear as cider (q.v.) to the apple. As in the latter case, special varieties of the fruit possessing vintage qualities which render them unsuitable for edible purposes are required for the preparation of a beverage of prime quality.
The districts noted for the making of perry are less numerous and extensive than those associated with cider production, and are in general specialized centres in the latter areas. Parts of
Brittany and Normandy in France and the counties of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester in England are the best known sources of the beverage. The acreage under perry pear trees is much less than that devoted to the culture of cider fruit and the total output of perry is insignificant in comparison with that of cider.
The varieties of perry pears do not fall into a natural classi fication according to chemical composition as in the case of cider apples. The following English varieties are most generally favoured: Aylton Red, Barland, Blakeney Red, Butt, Huffcap, Longland, Moorcroft, Oldfield, Taynton Squash, and Rock.
Most kinds of perry pears yield juices of a medium degree of acidity and a more or less marked astringency. The chief problem of perry making is the tendency of the beverage to develop a milky turbidity after the final clarification. (B. T. P. B.)