5. SOUVENIR DU CONGRÈS.

This Pear is said to have been produced by M. Morel, of Lyon-Vaise, in France, about the middle of the present century (1850).

Description.—Fruit: large, three inches and a half long, two inches and three quarters wide, and often much larger ; oblong, obovate, uneven and undulating in its outline. Skin: considerably covered with smooth cinnamon-coloured russet, with, here and there, patches of the yellow ground colour exposed ; on the side next the sun, there are streaks of bright crimson, and a warm glow of russet. Eye : large and open, deeply set. Stalk : an inch or more long, very stout, inserted either in a pretty deep cavity, or on the end of the fruit, in a slight cavity. Flesh : yellowish white, tender, very juicy and melting, with a rich, vinous flavour and a musky aroma.

A very handsome and excellent Pear ; in season from the end of August to the beginning of November. It has a great resemblance to Williams Bon Chrétien, but is quite a distinct fruit.

The tree is hardy and bears well, making an excellent pyramid on the quince stock.

— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)

Souvenir du Congress.

This Pear was originated by M. Morel, of Lyon-Vaise, France, and by him dedicated to the Pomological Congress of France. Tree vigorous and fertile, pyramidal in form.

Fruit large to very large, resembling in form the Bartlett. Skin smooth, of a handsome yellow at maturity, washed with bright red, or carmine, on the side exposed to the sun. Flesh much like the Bartlett, having the musky flavor, though in a less degree. Its maturity commences in August and continues in September. (Revue Horticole.)

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Souvenir (Souvenir du Congress). — Large to very large, obovate obtuse pyriform; color yellow when ripe, with bright carmine in the sun, and many brown dots; russeted at the stem; stalk three-quarters of an inch long, stout, much inclined, and inserted in flesh without cavity. Flesh white, quite coarse, slightly perfumed, vinous; quality good. Now quite widely grown east of the lakes. France.

— J.L. Budd & N.E. Hansen, American Horticultural Manual, Part II: Systematic Pomology (1914)

SOUVENIR DE CONGRES. Her. Pom., I., 28. Dessert, September, large, calebasse form much flattened at eye, rather uneven. Colour, bright yellow, with scarlet cheek and cinnamon striped russet. Flesh, yellowish, tender, very sweet, musky flavour. Eye, open in a rather deep uneven basin. Stem, rather long, stout. Growth, upright spreading, spurring well, rather compact; fertility good. Leaf, large, roundish oval, dark green, upfolded, neatly and regularly crenate, turns fine crimson red. Origin, raised by M. Morel, a nurseryman of Lyon-Vaise, France, and first fruited in 1863. A very valuable fruit for autumnal use. The figure in the Herefordshire Pomona is rather too small.

— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)

SOUVENIR DU CONGRÈS

1. Pom. France 4: No. 162, Pl. 162. 1867. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 34. 1875. 3. Flor. & Pom. 37, Pl. 1875. 4. Jour. Hort. N. S. 38:120, fig. 19. 1880. 5. Hogg Fruit Man. 647. 1884. 6. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 350, fig. 1906.

Andenken an den Congress. 7. Oberdieck Obst-Sort. 237. 1881. 8. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 168. 1889. 9. Deut. Obstsorten 6: Pt. 16, Pl. 1910.

Souvenir. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1897. 11. Ont. Dept. Agr. Fr. Ont. 179. 1914.

Very similar to Clapp Favorite and Bartlett, and not as good as either in fruit-characters, Souvenir du Congrès hardly merits a place in American pomology. The crop ripens between those of the two sorts with which it has been compared, and the fruits are larger and often handsomer. The fruits are said to be larger and of better quality when the tree is double-worked on the quince. The tree is remarkable for vigor, hardihood to cold, and healthfulness; and bears so abundantly that the crop must be thinned to prevent breaking of branches. The variety grows especially well in New York, and is deserving a place in home orchards and in fruit-collections. The accompanying color-plate illustrates the size, shape, and color of this pear remarkably well.

Souvenir du Congrès owes its origin to M. François Morel, Lyons, France. M. Morel grafted one of his pear-trees with cions taken from several other varieties, including Bartlett, and from the tree thus grafted he obtained fruit, seeds of which he sowed in 1852. One of the resultant trees bore fruit in 1863, and the pears had so many earmarks of Bartlett that it was at once assumed to be a seedling of that variety. The tree continued to do well and in due course the variety was judged to be worthy of dissemination by the Rhône Horticultural Society. Later, M. Morel dedicated the new pear to the Pomological Congress of France. The variety was introduced in the United States about 1870. The American Pomological Society placed Souvenir du Congrès on its fruit-catalog list in 1875.

Tree medium in size and vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped, very productive; branches zigzag, dull reddish-brown, heavily overspread with ash-gray scarf-skin, marked by small, raised lenticels; branchlets thick, long, reddish-brown, overspread with dull gray mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, with few small, slightly raised lenticels.

Leaf-buds small, short, pointed, plump, free. Leaves 1½ in. long, 1 in. wide, roundish-oval, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin tipped with very few glands, finely serrate; petiole 1¼ in. long, glabrous, tinged with red. Flower-buds short, conical or pointed, plump, free, arranged singly on very short spurs or branchlets; flowers with a disagreeable odor, 1⅜ in. across, pinkish-white as the buds unfold, becoming whitish, in dense clusters, 6 to 8 buds in a cluster; pedicels ¾ in. long, thick, heavily pubescent, light green.

Fruit ripe in September; large, 3⅞ in. long, 2⅝ in. wide, uniform in size and shape, oblong-acute-pyriform, symmetrical, with unequal sides; stem 1 in. long, short, thick, curved; cavity obtuse, almost lacking, very shallow, narrow, russeted, slightly furrowed, often with the stem inserted beneath a pronounced irregular lip; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acute; basin wide, obtuse and flaring, slightly furrowed, symmetrical, smooth except for the thick, russet covering; color yellow, with a reddish blush on the exposed cheek, covered with nettings of russet and yellow patches; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh white, with a faint tinge of yellow, firm, granular, tender, very juicy, sweet, with a musky flavor; quality good. Core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds large, wide, plump, acute.

— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)

SOUVENIR DU CONGRES. Fig. 96. Congress, Souvenir. Very similar to Clapp Favorite and Bartlett, and not as good as either in fruit, Souvenir du Congres hardly merits a place in American pomology. Yet since the crop ripens between those of the two sorts with which it has been compared, and because the fruits are larger and often handsomer, the variety may be worthy a place in collections. The fruits are said to be larger and of better quality when the tree is double-worked on the quince. The tree is remarkable for vigor, hardihood to cold, and healthfulness; and bears so abundantly that the crop must be thinned to prevent breaking of branches.

Souvenir du Congres owes its origin to François Morel, Lyons, France. M. Morel sowed seeds in 1852, and one of the resultant trees bore fruit in 1863, and was named Souvenir du Congres.

Tree medium in size and vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped, very productive; branches zigzag, dull reddish-brown, marked by small, raised lenticels. Leaves 1¾ inches long, 1½ inches wide, roundish-oval, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin tipped with very few glands, finely serrate; petiole 1½ inches long, glabrous, tinged with red. Flowers with a disagreeable odor, 1½ inches across, pinkish-white as the buds unfold, becoming whitish, in dense clusters, 6 to 8 buds in a cluster. Fruit ripe in September; large, 3 5/16 inches long, 2 7/16 inches wide, quite uniform in size and shape, oblong-acute-pyriform, symmetrical, with unequal sides; stem ⅞ inch long, short, thick, curved; cavity obtuse, almost lacking, shallow, narrow, russeted, furrowed, often with the stem inserted beneath a pronounced irregular lip; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, narrow, acute; basin wide, obtuse and flaring, furrowed, symmetrical, smooth except for the thick russet covering; color yellow, with a reddish blush on the exposed cheek, covered with nettings of russet and yellow patches; dots numerous, small, russet, conspicuous; flesh white, tinged with yellow, firm, granular, tender, very juicy, sweet, musky; quality good; core closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube short, wide, conical; seeds long, wide, plump, acute.

— U.P. Hedrick, Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1922)

Tree a strong grower. Fruit very large, oblong, obtuse, pyriform. Skin smooth yellow, with bright red on the sunny side. Flesh juicy, buttery, slightly musky, of very pleasant flavour. Season September.

— Central Experimental Farm, Central Experimental Farm, Agassiz BC — Catalogue of Fruit Trees under Test (Bulletin No. 3, 1900) (1900)

medium size, melting and sweet-flavoured; extremely choice fine; a good bearer; a valuable addition to the collection.

— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)

...very fresh, vigorous fruit not in two pieces; a setting pear of excellent flavour; excellent keeper very hardy and productive

— Thomas Rivers & Son, Thomas Rivers Catalogue of Fruits (1914) (1914)