Philippe Goes
PearPhilippe Goes
Origin / History
Belgian, according to Downing and Thomas; Elliott, who credits his description to "An. Pom.", calls it "Foreign." Hedrick calls it "a posthumous gain from the seed beds of Van Mons," whose parent tree gave its first fruit in 1846. Hedrick cites its description and figure in the Annales de Pomologie Belge (1855) and its inclusion in Downing's Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1869). Downing describes it as "much resembling Baronne de Mello."
Tree
Vigorous ("sufficiently vigorous," Elliott). Productive to very fertile. Young wood dark olive brown (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Small to above medium, commonly medium. Downing admits small fruit; Hedrick alone gives above medium.
Form: Pyriform to obovate. Turbinate-pyriform or roundish acute pyriform, bossed, often irregular, uneven and undulating in outline. Hedrick calls it obovate.
Stem: Long, curved, fleshy at insertion (Downing).
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Small, partially closed (Downing).
Basin: Small (Downing).
Skin: Rough to the touch, much or totally covered with russet: gray, brownish, or bright. The ground is yellow according to Downing and dark olive according to Hedrick.
Dots: Not described in source.
Flesh and flavor: Flesh whitish to whitish-yellow. Fine and melting according to Elliott and Downing; Hedrick calls it semi-melting, gritty, and rather granular at the center. Juicy, or "juice enough," though Hedrick finds the juice "rarely abundant." Sweet, vinous, and perfumed: Elliott calls it "finely perfumed," Hedrick "saccharine" and "fairly well perfumed," and Downing "slightly aromatic." Elliott rates it "quite first quality," Thomas "very good," and Downing "good to very good," while Hedrick ranks it only "second."
Core and seeds: Not described in source.
Season
The recorded season runs from September to December. Most entries place ripening in late autumn, from the middle of November into December. Downing alone gives September.
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Philippe Goes.
Foreign. Tree, sufficiently vigorous and very fertile. Fruit, medium, turbinate-pyriform, bossed, and often irregular ; skin, rough, totally covered with gray russet ; flesh, whitish-yellow, fine and melting, juice enough, sweet and finely perfumed ; quite first quality. Ripens middle of November. (An. Pom.)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Philippe Goes.
A Belgian variety, much resembling Baronne de Mello. Tree vigorous and productive. Young wood dark olive brown.
Fruit small to medium, roundish acute pyriform, yellow, covered with brownish russet. Stalk long, curved, fleshy at insertion. Calyx small, partially closed. Basin small. Flesh whitish, melting, juicy, vinous, slightly aromatic. Good to very good. September.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Philippe Goes. Medium, turbinate pyriform, rough, russeted; juicy, sweet, perfumed; very good. November. Belgian.
— U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York (1921)Philippe Goes.
i. Ann. Pom. Beige 3:51, fig. 1855. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 833. 1869.
A posthumous gain from the seed beds of Van Mons. The parent tree gave its first fruit in 1846. Fruit above medium, obovate, uneven and undulating in outline; skin rough to the touch, of a dark olive, much covered with a bright russet; flesh semi-melting, gritty, sweet, rather granular at the center, juice rarely abundant, saccharine, vinous and fairly well perfumed; second; Dec.