Winthrop Greening
Apple
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Winthrop Greening
Origin / History
Originated in Winthrop, Maine, about the year 1800 (Beach, citing Hovey and Cole). Hovey first described it in the Magazine of Horticulture for 1846 under the name "Lincoln." Cole described it in 1849, and the Magazine of Horticulture for 1855 carried it as "Lincoln Pippin." Elliott's account of the fruit is credited to Cole. The variety was entered in the catalogue of the American Pomological Society in 1854 and dropped from that list in 1897 (Beach). "A valued sort in Maine" (Thomas). "But little known in New York" (Beach).
Tree
Vigorous, upright spreading (Downing). A shy bearer (Beach).
Fruit
Size: Large; "of good size" (Beach).
Form: Oblate and slightly ribbed. Thomas adds that it is remotely conical and nearly regular.
Stem: Short to rather short.
Cavity: Shallow (Thomas).
Calyx: Large, open (Downing).
Basin: Moderate (Thomas).
Skin: Yellow to golden yellow when ripe, or greenish yellow, still with a little green. Tinged with red, a faint red shade sometimes appearing on the side to the sun (Thomas). Cole, as given by Elliott, calls this a "slight russet tinge of red in the sun." Downing adds nettings and patches of russet.
Dots: Light and gray, thickly sprinkled (Downing).
Flesh and flavor: White (Downing) or yellowish white (Thomas). Tender, crisp, very juicy, sprightly, subacid. Cole, as given by Elliott, describes "a sprightly rich flavor," and Beach, citing Cole, calls it mild subacid. Downing calls it "rather rich subacid." Quality good (Downing, Beach); Thomas rates it "very good."
Core and seeds: Core small (Downing).
Season
The recorded season runs from September into early winter. Most authors give September or mid-autumn. Beach extends it from September to early winter.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 1 catalog (1900)
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Lincoln
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Winthrop Greening. Lincoln Pippin. | Howe Apple. Origin, Winthrop, Maine. Fruit, large, golden yellow, with slight russet tinge of red in the sun ; flesh, tender, crisp, very juicy, with a sprightly rich flavor. September. (Cole.)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Winthrop Greening.
Lincoln Pippin. Howe Apple.
Origin, Winthrop, Me. Tree vigorous, upright spreading.
Fruit large, oblate, slightly ribbed, greenish yellow, with nettings and patches of russet, thickly sprinkled with light and gray dots. Stalk rather short. Calyx large, open. Flesh white, tender, juicy, rather rich subacid. Good. Core small. September.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Winthrop Greening. Large, oblate, remotely conical, slightly ribbed, nearly regular; skin yellow, when ripe, with a little green, sometimes a faint red shade to the sun; stem short, cavity shallow, basin moderate; flesh yellowish white, sub-acid, very good. Mid-autumn. A valued sort in Maine.
— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)WINTHROP GREENING.
REFERENCES. 1. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 12:475. 1846. 2. Cole, 1849:104. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1854. 4. Mag. Hort., 21:63. 1855. 5. Downing, 1857:204. 6. Warder, 1867:737. 7. Thomas, 1875:209. 8. Downing, 1881:111 index, app. 9. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:300. 10. Burrill and McCluer, Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:347. 1896.
SYNONYMS. Howe Apple (2, 5). Kennebec Seedling (8). LINCOLN (1), LINCOLN PIPPIN (4). Lincoln Pippin (2, 5). WINTHROP GREENING (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10).
Fruit yellow, tinged with red, of good size and good quality; season September to early winter. The flesh is tender, crisp, very juicy, sprightly, mild subacid (2). The tree is a shy bearer.
Historical. Originated in Winthrop, Me., about the year 1800 (1, 2). It was entered in the catalogue of the American Pomological Society in 1854 (3) and dropped from that list in 1897. It is but little known in New York.