122 



314 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



SANDERSHA MANGO. 



(SYNONYMS: Sandershaw, Soondershaw, Sundershah.) 

 [PLATE XXXV.] 



Since the superiority of quality of the choice Indian varieties of 

 the mango over that of the common seedlings of tropical and sub- 

 tropical America became evident through the fruiting of the Mulgoba 

 in Florida in 1898 and subsequent years, there has been an active in- 

 terest in the introduction of other reputed choice varieties of this 

 most interesting fruit. A large number of such have been brought 

 from India and some from other tropical countries by the Office of 

 Seed and Plant Introduction of the Bureau of Plant Industry, while 

 private enterprise has become sufficiently interested to import con- 

 siderable numbers of certain sorts. 



Of those that have fruited sufficiently in Florida thus far to dis- 

 close their distinctive characteristics, the Sandersha is one of the most 

 unique and in certain respects the most promising. It was introduced 

 by the then Section of Seed and Plant Introduction in 1901 a (S. P. I. 

 No. 7108), having been received from A. Lehmann, Ph. D., Banga- 

 lore, India, on July 31 of that year in the form of two inarched trees. 

 A second lot of inarched trees received from Mr. W. Gollan, superin- 

 tendent of the Government Botanic Garden at Saharanpur, India, 

 under the name " Sundershah " (S. P. I. No. 10665) has not yet 

 fruited, but is supposed to be the same sort. Little appears to have 

 been published in India regarding the variety, but at the Subtrop- 

 ical Laboratory of the Department at Miami, Fla., where it has been 

 fruited for two seasons, it has proved very productive, of exception- 

 ally large size, fine dessert quality, and very late ripening season, all 

 of which points are apparently in its favor as a commercial sort. Mr. 

 P. J. Wester, of the Subtropical Laboratory, considers cross pollina- 

 tion necessary to insure productiveness. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Form long, compressed, and rather slender, tapering toward stem 

 and terminating in a distinct curved beak at the apex ; size very large, 

 averaging about 20 ounces in weight, and occasionally attaining a 

 weight of 2 pounds; stem stout, apex prominent, curved and "beaked;" 

 surface smooth; color clear yellow, with a faint pinkish blush in 

 the sun ; dots numerous, small, russeted ; skin moderately thick ; seed 

 long, curved, thin, small in proportion to size of fruit and thick- 

 ness of flesh; flesh rich reddish yellow, juicy and tender, almost en- 

 tirely free from fiber; flavor sprightly and refreshing in the fresh 

 state, though with rather less aroma than Mulgoba. Its higher acid- 

 ity will doubtless render it more acceptable for serving in sliced 



Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletin 66, p. 131, Feb. 8, 1905. 



