Philippe Goes
PearOrigin/History
A Belgian variety, a posthumous gain from the seed beds of Van Mons. According to Hedrick, the parent tree gave its first fruit in 1846. Downing notes it much resembles Baronne de Mello.
Tree
Tree vigorous and productive (Downing), described by Elliott as "sufficiently vigorous and very fertile." Young wood dark olive brown (Downing).
Fruit
Size: Small to medium (Downing); above medium (Hedrick); medium (Elliott, Thomas). Sources disagree on size, with Hedrick describing it as notably larger than the other sources suggest.
Form: Roundish acute pyriform (Downing); obovate, uneven and undulating in outline (Hedrick); turbinate-pyriform, bossed, and often irregular (Elliott); turbinate pyriform (Thomas).
Stem: Stalk long, curved, fleshy at insertion (Downing).
Cavity: Not described in source.
Calyx: Calyx small, partially closed (Downing).
Basin: Basin small (Downing).
Skin: Yellow, covered with brownish russet (Downing). Hedrick describes the skin as rough to the touch, of a dark olive, much covered with a bright russet. Elliott describes it as rough, totally covered with gray russet. Thomas simply notes rough, russeted. All sources agree on heavy russet coverage, but the russet color varies: brownish (Downing), bright (Hedrick), gray (Elliott).
Flesh/Flavor: Whitish, melting, juicy, vinous, slightly aromatic; good to very good (Downing). Hedrick describes the flesh as semi-melting, gritty, sweet, rather granular at the center, with juice rarely abundant, saccharine, vinous and fairly well perfumed; rated second quality. Elliott describes the flesh as whitish-yellow, fine and melting, juice enough, sweet and finely perfumed; rated quite first quality. Thomas describes it as juicy, sweet, perfumed; very good.
Sources notably disagree on quality and texture. Downing and Thomas rate the fruit good to very good; Elliott rates it quite first quality; Hedrick rates it only second quality, finding the flesh gritty and granular at center with rarely abundant juice. This discrepancy may relate to the season of eating — Hedrick describes a December fruit, while the others describe it at earlier maturity.
Core/Seeds
Not described in source.
Season
Sources disagree considerably on ripening period. September (Downing); December (Hedrick); middle of November (Elliott); November (Thomas).
Uses
Not described in source.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
View original book sources (4)
— 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.
— 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.
— 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.)
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Philippe Goes. Medium, turbinate pyriform, rough, russeted; juicy, sweet, perfumed; very good. November. Belgian.