Breeding Catts: A Photo Journey

[Molly Taco]

Congrats Julie on the up coming blessed event. If you have too many babies I would like to add my name to the list also. HEHE!!!
Cin

[Piper]

Okey dokey, boys and girls...it's time to birth!

Tomorrow morning, Aaron the Minister of Silly Flasking and I are heading up to Dartmouth to flask my babies. I've arranged lab time with one of the cell bio professors, where we'll have access to a sterile hood. That's an enclosed space with a sterile air flow that practically eliminates the chances of contamination when flasking, or conducting other sensitive lab work.

We'll convene at 10am in the greenhouse with Lisa Palmer, who's assisting us. We'll buy whatever supplies we need from the Med school stock room before we grab an early lunch. Then, when Roger's done teaching at noon, we'll get briefed on hood use and sterile technique (it's been 20+ years since I've used one) before we set to work. Aaron is the silly flasker. I'm the stenographer/photographer/videographer. I'm also the liason with the Bio Dept, should we blow anything up!

So here are the prego mothers, who's seed pods will be cut off tomorrow morning, just before I hop into the car for the drive up. The measurements of the 'footballs' are 2 1/2" for the smaller pod below gaskelliana, and 3" for the larger one Mildred Rives above. That doesn't include stem or spike.

Results of our expedition will be posted on Wed!

McJulie

[Molly Taco]

GOOD LUCK !!!!
Cin

[Tindomul1of9]

OOoooO!! So exciting! Julie, you have to photo document every tiny step for me!! I still need to know what to do! Written Words just aren't enough for me to comprehend the process. Thanks!!!!

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Very nice write-up, McJulie! It is sooooooo exciting! And your pictures of the pods are GREAT! Love them!
Cheers. Hoa.

[smartie2000]

wow! those seed pods are huge! good luck

[terminator]

wow, wow, wow. A big seed pod I've ever seen. What media do you use? Good luck.

[KC C]

The thought of the number of babies in each of those pods just floors me!

[Diane]

Fascinating.... Are those both crossed back onto themselves or are they crossed onto each other?

[Piper]

They're crossed onto each other. It's been mentioned before, but it's worth repeating that the pod or seed capsule parent the one who bears the capsule imparts more of its traits to the seedlings. That's why I wanted to make the cross in both directions, using the pollen of each plant on the other.

This particular cross hasn't been registered, but I've seen a cross from Mildred Rives to a Catt species not unlike gaskelliana. The Mildred Rives coloration and form predominates, but she was the pod parent in that cross. I think the back cross will be more interesting. That's the smaller pod that came off Catt. gaskelliana. I'd love to see more of her subtleties in form and coloration come through. There's nothing subtle about Mildred Rives!

We had a great day in the lab, lots of good pictures and fun stories! But I was met with a small crisis when I arrived home. There's been another combat death - a local fellow killed in Iraq, and the funeral with full military honors will be Thurs. I'm knee deep in arrangements and won't have time to post the pics quite yet. More to come!

McJulie