What's a Winogradsky Column?

Imagine life in a jar! AUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!
Well, if you were a microbe it would be just right!
For scientific background related to this subject, just go to Wikepedia and type in Winogradsky Column.
But in the meantime, here is how I set one up....
Winogradsky Column
Constructed 2/2/2009

After visiting numerous sites pertaining to Winogradsky Columns, ie., (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winogradsky_column), I realized that there are no steadfast directions on how to construct one. So I jumped in and gathered the following materials:
- one 250 ml graduated glass cylinder
- one glass tube with a dimension of 12 inches tall by 1 inch in diameter
- muddy life source from the bottom of a duck pond by our house
- water from the same duck pond
- ½ yolk from a boiled egg
- ½ eggshells from the same boiled egg,
- a pinch of baking soda (Arm and Hammer)
- powdered cellulose
- powdered sodium sulfate
- shredded newspaper, ~ one half page
- square of aluminum foil to cover securely
- window with southern exposure, placed out of direct sunlight

For the first set- up, I took the muddy life source + ½ yolk + ½ egg shells + pinch of baking soda + shredded newspaper and gently mixed them together. With a funnel I scooped some of the muddy life source into the bottom 1/3 of the graduated cylinder. With a thin wire I tamped it down to remove as many air bubbles as possible. I proceeded to add the pond water to ~ one inch from the top of the cylinder. Covered with aluminum foil and placed on the counter out of direct sunlight.
For the second container I added the muddy life source + a pinch of cellulose, a pinch of sodium sulfate and gently mixed them together. Then I repeated the exact procedure as stated above.