218 



THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 



Leaves zj in. long, ij in. wide, oval, leathery; apex taper-pointed; margin finely serrate; 

 petiole if in. long. Flower-buds conical or pointed, free; flowers i| in. across, in dense 

 clusters, 13 or 14 buds in a cluster; pedicels 5 in. long, thick, pubescent, greenish. 



Fruit matures in October; large, af in. long, 2^ in. wide, uniform in size and shape, 

 turbinate, often with a tendency to oblateness, symmetrical; stem f in. long, thick, nearly 

 straight; cavity obtuse, deep, slightly furrowed, occasionally lipped; calyx large, open; 

 lobes very broad, obtuse; basin wide, obtuse, symmetrical; skin thick, granular, tender, 

 roughish; color dull greenish-yellow, with a brownish-red blush, overspread with russet 

 nettings and streaks; dots numerous, small, russet; flesh whitish, somewhat granular, 

 tender and melting, very juicy, sweet, and vinous, with a rich and pleasantly aromatic 

 flavor; quality very good to best. Core large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube 

 short, wide, conical; seeds acute. 



SOUVENIR DU CONGRES 



i. Pom. France 4: No. 162, PI. 162. 1867. a. 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 Norn. Pom. 168. 1889. 

 9. Deut. Obstsorten 6: Pt. 16, PI. 1910. 



Souvenir. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1897. u. 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 Congres 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 healthf ulness ; 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-collec- 

 tions. The accompanying color-plate illustrates the size, shape, and color 

 of this pear remarkably well. 



Souvenir du Congres owes its origin to M. Frangois 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 Rhone 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 



