Hello!
Yes, it's mee agin. Ize tried tah goe back tah zzzzleep in mye kat bed, butz Amee insisted dat Ize getz upe and wryte dais. Az yew cayne zee frum da piccha, mye kat bed iz vewy compfy, wid a nyce pillow and a nyce view owd ov da winnough.
Anyways, Amee wanted mee tah poast dais zo zhe kud ask Max aboot er (sort ov) punkun Barack. Barack iz vewy bumpy. Amee iz wondering if dais iz a genetic trait ov Armonia's, since Armonia wuz bumpy alzo (zee piccha). Haz anyone elze growd an Armonia punkun? Wuz id bumpy?
Da odda ding dat Amee thod id kud be iz sumding cawld da Watermelon Mosaic Virus. Dat iz a virus witch cayne effect punkuns, amoung odda fruits and veggies. Id maykes dem bumpy, and cayne be passed awn tah new generations in da zeeds. Amee iz wondering if Max haz ever heard ov dais virus in hiz botanical learnings.
Barack
Armonia
Chao,
Tobee
Translation by Toby Speak Version 2.2k
using the sep08.dic dictionary.
3 comments:
Hi Tobee
Nice cat bed! The view out your window is very nice also.
Well, thanks for asking about Barack's bumby skin. I was tempted to say that any pumpkin whose name is Barack is bound to experience some kind of bumpiness in his rise to fame in the garden of life, but then I began to seriously take a look at his skin (which is orange in this case!) and this led me to do some research on a few things.
I did a search on "bumpy pumpkins" or "bumpy pumpkin skin". After those searches (which yielded a non-virus hybrid of a pumpkin we actually sell at Whole Foods -- which is green with bumps) I looked into the Watermelon Mosaic Virus. Back in 1977, I heard about this virus in a FRUIT CULTURE class in school. I had to read again about it to see if Barack has it. Your question about Armonia's passing this on to him is a good one. YES, I did notice these irregularly shaped, raised surfaces on one of my pumpkins (from the Rosie line though) But this is very interesting because MAX had this skin condition as well (as you can detect if you look at an image of Max's lighted face)! Barack is yet one more pumpkin in the line AND it may be that this virus sometimes "crops up" much like a recessive gene "emerges" through heredity's chain of events. Casper has Dove-Bar skin. One of my Rosies (which died this year) had bumpy skin just like Barack AND Father Max. Another possible cause -- which is not hereditary -- may be that the virus was transmitted from aphids or other hosts (on weeds or other plants)
in the current growing season(s).
The question of the CLASS of virus (which I do think it is) still remains though. I say this because I learned of several other viruses beside the Watermelon Mosaic Virus -- which this may be.
The web address for this discussion is:
www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/HORT/VEG/PW/FN2006_VIRUSCUCURBITS_BCOUTTS.PDF
I think Barack and SEVERAL pumpkins in the MAX line may have been affected by one (or more) of the five listed virus in the above link. Even though the above link if about Australian crops, I think this is a "world-wide" problem and that aphids may be the real culprit. The last paragraph on page 3 in the above link talks about virus-tested seeds. The Harvard Proving Ground had no such biohazard equipment. We just put those babies in the ground. We also thought aphid were harmless and we let them live on weeds and climb all over Max's face.
So, in summary, I think you are correct in thinking Barack has a virus, but I still am NOT completely certain if it is a virus transmitted by a host each year -- as opposed to a hereditary-based genetic "feature" or disease from MAX and / or other pumpkins following him.
I also think Barack's virus may possibly be one of four others beside the Watermelon Mosaic Virus.
With it though, I think he can still be president of ANY garden club -- especially ours!
Max
Tanks for your input Max. I will read the links that you sent. It is interesting that some punkunz get this and not others. My other (sort of) punkun Joe alzo haz "Dove-Bar skin". They weren't that far away from each other, so I guess that's why I doubt the aphid theory, but who knows! It is also interesting to know that Father Max had thi9s hizzelf.
DiDi
(I guess since we are using old names I will revert to mine!)
Armonia's "Emma" and "Pumpkin Pie" are darker orange and bumpee punkunz, while Rosie's Leo is brighter orange, almost yellow, and smoother skinned. See new postings 9-30-08 BuBe
Not so sure about virus as just a natural genetic thingy - as in crooked neck yellow summer squash are known for their bumpy skins.
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