BACTERIA LAMP

Articles In This Section:

· Moccasins and Leatherstockings

· BACTERIA LAMP

· MAKING "SILVERWARE"

· CAMPSITE FILTERING SYSTEM

· WEAVING HAMMOCKS AND NETS

· BIVOUAC CLOTHING

· LIGHTING YOUR HUT OR AERIE

· YOUR BLANKET

· WATERPROOFING

· RAIN PONCHO

When you've strolled through the woods at night, did you ever come upon faintly glowing pieces of wood? Or have you ever seen a rotting potato that glows? The glow is not really coming from the wood or the potato, but from little bacteria growing on them. These bacteria are called phosphorescent agarics.

You can grow these agarics yourself. Cook a little beef bouillon and add enough powdered gelatin so that it will get hard when it cools. Then take the. glowing piece of wood or potato and scrape off bits of it into the lukewarm bouillon. Stir it, pour the whole thing into a wide-necked jar, and leave it alone for a while. With the good culture medium of bouillon and gelatin, the agarics will soon start to multiply, and in a few weeks the jar with the culture will give off a mild, even light. It will make a worthy lamp for your tent or hut.