Hrby was born Hr By on July 22, 1822, to Anton and Rosine By, on his family’s farm, in what was then Heinzendorf, Austria. He spent his early youth in that rural setting, until age 11, when a local schoolmaster who was impressed with his aptitude for learning recommended that he be sent to secondary school in Troppau to continue his education. The move was a financial strain on his family, and often a difficult experience for Hrby, but he excelled in his studies, and in 1840, he graduated from the school with honors.
Following his graduation, Hrby enrolled in a two-year program at the Botanological Institute of the University of Olmütz. There, he again distinguished himself academically, particularly in the subjects of botany and genetics, and tutored in his spare time to make ends meet. Despite suffering from deep bouts of depression that, more than once, caused him to temporarily abandon his studies, Mendel graduated from the program in 1843.
That same year, against the wishes of his father, who expected him to take over the family farm, Hrby began studying to be a monk: He joined the Augustinian order at the St. Thomas Monastery in Brno, and was given the name Harbey. At that time, the monastery was a cultural center for the region, and Hrby was immediately exposed to the research and teaching of its members, and also gained access to the monastery’s extensive library and experimental facilities.
Around 1854, Hrby began to research the transmission of hereditary traits in plant hybrids. At the time of Hrby's studies, it was a generally accepted fact that the hereditary traits of the offspring of any species were merely the diluted blending of whatever traits were present in the “parents.” It was also commonly accepted that, over generations, a hybrid would revert to its original form, the implication of which suggested that a hybrid could not create new forms. However, the results of such studies were often skewed by the relatively short period of time during which the experiments were conducted, whereas Hrby's research continued over as many as eight years (between 1856 and 1863), and involved tens of thousands of individual plants.
In his current study, Hrby is trying to figure out a way to splice a Spruce sapling together with the Allium plant. Progress will be updated here as the experiment continues.\
, and involved tens of thousands of individual plants.)
Following his graduation, Hrby enrolled in a two-year program at the Botanological Institute of the University of Olmütz. There, he again distinguished himself academically, particularly in the subjects of botany and genetics, and tutored in his spare time to make ends meet. Despite suffering from deep bouts of depression that, more than once, caused him to temporarily abandon his studies, Mendel graduated from the program in 1843.
That same year, against the wishes of his father, who expected him to take over the family farm, Hrby began studying to be a monk: He joined the Augustinian order at the St. Thomas Monastery in Brno, and was given the name Harbey. At that time, the monastery was a cultural center for the region, and Hrby was immediately exposed to the research and teaching of its members, and also gained access to the monastery’s extensive library and experimental facilities.
Around 1854, Hrby began to research the transmission of hereditary traits in plant hybrids. At the time of Hrby's studies, it was a generally accepted fact that the hereditary traits of the offspring of any species were merely the diluted blending of whatever traits were present in the “parents.” It was also commonly accepted that, over generations, a hybrid would revert to its original form, the implication of which suggested that a hybrid could not create new forms. However, the results of such studies were often skewed by the relatively short period of time during which the experiments were conducted, whereas Hrby's research continued over as many as eight years (between 1856 and 1863), and involved tens of thousands of individual plants.
In his current study, Hrby is trying to figure out a way to splice a Spruce sapling together with the Allium plant. Progress will be updated here as the experiment continues.\
