🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <BzH02r.7vA@ddsw1.mcs.com>, arf@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Jack Schmidling):
>
> 
>         Winogradsky Column (Or something like that)
> 
> 
> Several months ago Hemant Chikarmane of Woods Hole described 
> a fascinating sounding project for all us Mr Wizzards.
> 
> I followed the instructions to the letter (more or less) and 
> got exactly what I put in plus a little algae and a few 
> emergent blades of grass.
> 
> I seem to have lost his email address and want my money
>  back :)    Besides it is tying up a very useful graduated 
> cylinder.
> 
> Are you around Hermant?  Has anyone else had problems 
> getting this going?
> 
> js
>


For a good description and procedure see:                                  
Corner, T.R. 1992. Ecology in a jar. The Science Teacher.
59(3):32-36
















**********************************************************
RON COOKE, CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, CHICO
RCOOKE@OAVAX.CSUCHICO.EDU

In article <BzH02r.7vA@ddsw1.mcs.com>, arf@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Jack Schmidling) writes:
>  
>          Winogradsky Column (Or something like that)
>  
>  Several months ago Hemant Chikarmane of Woods Hole described 
>  a fascinating sounding project for all us Mr Wizzards.
>  
>  I followed the instructions to the letter (more or less) and 
>  got exactly what I put in plus a little algae and a few 
>  emergent blades of grass.
>  
>  I seem to have lost his email address and want my money
>   back :)    Besides it is tying up a very useful graduated 
>  cylinder.
>  
>  Are you around Hermant?  Has anyone else had problems 
>  getting this going?
>  
>  js

   Yes I am still alive!  And I can certainly help you.

Some thoughts:

	1.  Try a different soil or mud sample.  Stuff from marshes (smell H2S)
     works best.  Make sure that there is plenty of decaying organic matter.
     It is possible that the soil/mud you used did not have sufficient 
     photosynthetic bacteria.

2.  Make sure the column does not dry out.  There should always be about
    3-5 cm of water above the level of the mud.

3.  Use at least a 60 W bulb to illuminate the sides of the cylinder, or keep
    in bright sunlight.

4.  A warm area (~30 C) would also help.

5.  Is there too much chlorine in your water supply?  Try adding a few
    crystals of sodium thiosulfate (photographic hypo) to get rid of chlorine.


This experiment has been done by several students over many years, and one
of them kept it going for more than a year.  Good luck.


Hemant Chikarmane                 email:  hemant@mbl.edu
Marine Biological Laboratory      Phone: (508) 548 3705
Woods Hole  MA  02543             Fax:  (508) 540-6902

**** Experience Fahrvergnugen - Drive a Macintosh ! ****

Funny thing happened over the weekend.  I took it of the window sill and
set it on the diningroom table and there was lots of purple stuf and black
stuff.  Seems the side toward the sun was doing its thing but the side 
facing the room was not.  I would have thought I had enough sense to
turn it occasionally.  It also might have just been the lighting.  It's hard
to see with the backlighting of a bright window.

Anyway its seems to be working but not as dramatic as I had hoped and absolutely
nothing is happening in the bottom gypsum layer.  It is still white as
snow.

js