Lincoln

Origin/History

Lincoln originated as a seedling grown in the spring of 1835 by Mrs. Maria Fleming of Corwin, Illinois (Hedrick, 1922). Despite being nearly a hundred years old by the early twentieth century, it had gone without favorable mention from pear growers for most of that time, effectively disappearing from horticultural notice before being revived to take high rank among pears for the Mississippi Valley (Hedrick, 1922). Budd-Hansen (1914) describes it as a hardy prairie variety "rapidly coming into public notice" from Illinois. Hedrick (1922) is more reserved in his assessment, stating that "the variety is spoken of in such superlative terms for that region that it would seem that men give it attributes which Nature denies it," and concludes that Lincoln "is valuable only in the Middle West," noting its fruits are "but mediocre in appearance and quality, falling below a dozen other varieties of its season whether judged by the eye or the palate." At their best, Hedrick says, they are comparable to those of Bartlett, which western admirers of the variety claim it resembles. Lincoln's principal recommendation, in Hedrick's view, is its constitution: the ability to withstand cold, heat, and blight to which most pears are subject.

Bibliographic record (Hedrick, 1921): Mass. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 88. 1845; Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 196, Pls. 1894; Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 141. 1894; Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 42. 1889; Rural N.Y. 48:754, figs. 275 and 276. 1889; Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 36. 1899; Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:253. 1903.

Tree

Large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, rapid-growing, hardy, very productive (Hedrick, 1922). Trunk stocky, smooth. Branches medium in thickness and smoothness, zigzag, greenish-brown, marked especially on the younger wood with very numerous, large, roundish, conspicuous lenticels (Hedrick, 1922).

Leaves 3½ inches long, 1½ inches wide, stiff; apex variable; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2¼ inches long, glabrous, tinged with red; stipules very long and slender, pinkish (Hedrick, 1922).

Flowers 1¼ inches across, well distributed, average buds in a cluster (Hedrick, 1922).

Fruit

Size and Form

Budd-Hansen (1914) describes the fruit as large and obovate pyriform. Hedrick (1922) describes it as about 2¼ inches in length and width, roundish, with an obtuse neck, tapering very slightly.

Stem

Conflicting accounts: Budd-Hansen (1914) describes the stem as medium in length, quite stout, and fleshy at its insertion. Hedrick (1922) gives the length as 1¼ inches and describes it as slender.

Cavity

Budd-Hansen (1914) describes a regular small cavity. Hedrick (1922) states the cavity is almost lacking — a slight, narrow depression, occasionally slightly lipped.

Calyx

Calyx large, open; lobes separated at the base, long, acuminate (Hedrick, 1922). Calyx-tube short, wide, conical (Hedrick, 1922).

Basin

Conflicting accounts: Budd-Hansen (1914) describes the basin as regular, medium, with shallow corrugation. Hedrick (1922) describes it as shallow, obtuse, smooth, and symmetrical.

Skin

Conflicting accounts on surface texture: Budd-Hansen (1914) describes the surface as quite smooth; Hedrick (1922) describes the skin as thick, tender, and rough.

Color: dull greenish-yellow (Hedrick, 1922); Budd-Hansen (1914) agrees on greenish yellow. Hedrick adds that it is sprinkled with few russet lines and nettings. Both sources note russet markings; Budd-Hansen describes traces of russet with brown dots; Hedrick (1922) describes the dots as numerous, small, russet, and conspicuous.

Flesh and Flavor

Conflicting accounts: Budd-Hansen (1914) describes the flesh as whitish, fine-grained, buttery, very juicy, vinous, and rates quality good to very good. Hedrick (1922) describes the flesh as tinged with yellow, firm, coarse and granular especially near the core, tender, very juicy, sweet, aromatic, pleasing but not richly flavored, and rates quality good — elsewhere characterizing the fruits as mediocre.

Core and Seeds

Core unusually large, closed, with clasping core-lines. Seeds large, very wide, long, plump, acuminate (Hedrick, 1922).

Season

Fruit matures in late August and September (Hedrick, 1922).

Uses

Not described in source.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Lincoln possesses a constitution enabling it to withstand cold, heat, and blight to which most pears are subject; this hardiness is the primary basis for its reputation in the Mississippi Valley (Hedrick, 1922). Budd-Hansen (1914) similarly emphasizes it as a hardy prairie variety.