THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 



East, the fruits are but mediocre in appearance and quality, falling below 

 those of a dozen other varieties of the same season whether judged by the 

 eye or the palate. In Illinois and Missouri, however, the fruits are spoken 

 of as the handsomest and best. These are not regions in which many 

 good pears grow, since the cold of winter, heat of summer, and pear-blight 

 take toll from all but pears of the strongest constitution. Lincoln seems to 

 possess a constitution to withstand these ills. At its best, the fruits of 

 Lincoln seem comparable to those of Bartlett, which the western admirers 

 of the variety say it resembles. In New York, comparisons of the fruits 

 are all in favor of Bartlett, as are the trees in all characters excepting 

 hardiness to heat and cold, and resistance to blight. The variety is valuable 

 only in the Middle West. 



This pear had its origin in a seedling grown in the spring of 1835 by 

 Mrs. Maria Fleming, Corwin, Illinois. The original tree proved to be a 

 vigorous grower as well as a heavy cropper, and was ultimately given the 

 name of Lincoln. Augustine and Company of Normal, Illinois, propagated 

 and distributed the variety about 1895. Young trees of the variety appear 

 to be vigorous growers, free from blight and of high quality. The Ameri- 

 can Pomological Society added Lincoln to its list of fruits in 1899. 



Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, hardy, very productive; trunk 

 stocky, smooth; branches zigzag, greenish-brown, partly overspread with thin gray scarf- 

 skin, marked on the younger wood with very numerous large, round lenticels; branchlets 

 slender, very long, willowy, brownish-green overlaid with thin gray, dull, the new growth 

 reddish-green, with numerous large, roundish, raised lenticels. 



Leaf-buds very small, short, pointed, appressed. Leaves 3^ in. long, i\ in. wide, 

 stiff; apex variable; margin glandless, finely serrate; petiole 2 in. long, glabrous, tinged with 

 red; stipules very long and slender, pinkish. Flower-buds small, short, conical, free, 

 singly on short spurs; flowers if in. across, well distributed, average 5 buds in a duster; 

 pedicels i| in. long, slender, pubescent. 



Fruit matures in late August and September; medium in size, about 2j in. in length 

 and width, roundish, with an obtuse neck, tapering very slightly; stem ij in. long, slender; 

 cavity a slight, narrow depression, occasionally lipped; calyx large, open; lobes separated 

 at the base, long, acuminate; basin shallow, obtuse, smooth, symmetrical; skin thick, 

 tender, roughish; color yellow, sprinkled with few russet lines and nettings; dots numerous, 

 small, russet, conspicuous; flesh tinged with yellow, firm, coarse and granular, tender, 

 very juicy, sweet, aromatic, pleasing but not richly flavored; quality good. Core unusually 

 large, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube-short, wide, conical; seeds large, very 

 wide, long, plump, acuminate. 



