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XIX. An Account of the striped Hoosainee Persian Melon, By 

 Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. F.R.S. President. 



Read October 4, 1831. 



I sent to the first September Meeting of the Horticultural Society, 

 in the present year, a Melon, which, I supposed, would afford a 

 favourable sample of the striped Hoosainee Persian variety. In 

 weight, it nearly equalled the largest fruit which I raised of the 

 variety ; and it excelled every other in the brightness of its colour. 

 But I have subsequently had reason to change my opinions respect- 

 ing its merits ; and I believe that the seeds of many different vari- 

 eties of Melon were received from Persia under the same name ; 

 and that the first sent did not present a sample of the best variety 

 of striped Hoosainee Melon. 



I received from Mr. Lindley, in the last winter, a few seeds of 

 the striped Hoosainee Melon, which had been introduced, in the 

 year 1824, from Persia. Of these a single seed only vegetated, and 

 that afforded so imperfect a plant, that it was not without great dif- 

 ficulty, and much care, that I was enabled to preserve it alive. But 

 by engrafting two of its feeble lateral shoots upon two other plants 

 growing in contiguous pots, I succeeded in obtaining three Melons. 

 These were of rather small size, the weight of the largest not hav- 

 ing exceeded four pounds. Their form was oval, the longer 

 diameter exceeding the shorter nearly one third, and their colour 

 dark green, in broad stripes, with narrow intervals of dull white, 

 which became faintly yellow, as the fruit, which was much netted, 

 approached maturity. The pulp was externally green, but more 

 internally pale red, excessively juicy, and more perfectly melting, 



