Bl4*Umcastar Farming, Saturday, April 11,1998
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.)
Like the scientist who discovered
plastic, researchers of any age
can turn up some surprising
facts.
Just ask Polly Leonhard, 17, a
junior at Ephrata High School. The
daughter of John and Karen Leon
hard, Ephrata, became the grand
champion of the recent Lancaster
Science and 'Engineering Fair.
Polly chose an independent sci
ence project that involved the use
of cotton that contains color from
its own natural genetics. What
some would consider “organic”
cotton, from a more wild origin,
according to Polly, has its own pest
resistance built in. The more com
mercial varieties, bred to form the
pure whiteness to allow for the use
of dyes, don’t have the same kind
of natural resistance.
Or ask Sarah Woodling, 16, a
junior at Hempfield High School,
Polly Leonhard, 17, is a Junior at Ephrata High School.
The daughter of John and Karen Leonhard, Ephrata,
became the grand champion of the recent Lancaster Sci
ence and Engineering Fair.
Patrick McCudden, 16, is a sophomore at Hempfield High
School. What he found out that soils with the least uniform
particle size have the potential to be the most erosion
prone. In his project, “The Effectiveness of Erosion Control
Methods On Various Soils," Patrick found out that Duffleld
and Beddington silt loams can be worrisome for erosion.
Patrick, son of David and June McCudden, placed first In
the earth/envlronmental science category In competition at
the county science fair.
Science Fair Students Examine
Natural Defenses Of Cotton, Eggs
Landisvillc. The daughter of Rus
sell and Barbara Woodling, Land
isville, Sarah found out some inter'
esting information in the second
year of a two-year study. “A Com
parison of European and American
Egg Processing and Storage
Methods.” Her second-place pro
ject in the biology division discov
ered that boiling whole eggs for
only 7-10 seconds can preserve
them for up to 3 months.
But even mere revealing was the
fact that Sarah found Europeans
are forbidden to process eggs like
Americans do. And the processes
that eggs undergo to make them
look completely clean and sanitary
to a consuming public actually
remove the “cuticle,” a natural
substance in the shell that serves as
a natural defense and anti-spoilage
barrier to the egg.
Ephrata’s Polly Leonhard and
another winner, Gregory Plotner,
champion of the senior division for
his five-year study on stream water
purification, will voyage with
Hempfield High School science
instructor Robert Hertzler to the
49th International Science and
Engineering Fair in Fort Worth,
Texas, May 10-16. There, about
1,000 students and another 1,000
judges will be on hand to look at
the country’s brightest young
scientists.
Here’s a description of each of
the projects that highlight agricul
ture and related scientific studies
by the best minds at the fair, held at
Franklin and Marshall College
March 19.
Polly’s Studies
On Cotton
Polly Leonhard, Ephrata High
School junior, came across a copy
of Mother Earth News that con
tained a story on naturally colored
cotton. Polly admitted she knew
“nothing about cotton” before
reading about a grower who dis
covered some ancient seeds grown
in South America.
Originally, cotton had natural
colors pastels such as green,
brown, red, and mocha (light
brown).
In the magazine was a story
about a company called Planet
Vision Pure Organic that sold fabr
ic and T-shirts in the naturally col
ored cotton.
So Polly contacted a grower.
Mark Wilkes, from Meadow, Tex
as, and began growing her own
plants in the Ephrata High School
greenhouse. She began a study
eventually called “A New Crop for
Pennsylvania: Gossypium hirsu
tum Research For Improved
Strength, Shortened Growing Sea
son, and Increased Wax Content”
This “organic” cotton had a
more wild origin and was more
nest-resistant than commercial,
white cotton. The cotton changes
color because of the effects of
sunlight
She planted the seeds for the
first colored cotton in January
19%, including nine varieties. She
also planted an organic, natural
“white” cotton. Polly became
intrigued with the notion that in
the commercial industry, a lot of
chemical dyes are used to provide
the color for cotton. She wondered,
could there be a way to And colors
without environmental worries?
The cotton was grown in the
greenhouse until May 1996. After
ward, the plants were taken outside
to grow. At the end of August to
early September, the plants defo
liated and the bolls opened. Like
commercial harvesters, Polly had
to return a few times to “harvest”
the bolls. By the end of September,
1996, the cotton harvest was
complete.
Polly entered the science fair in
1997 and entered again this year.
But this year delved more deeply
into “qualitative” tests of the cot
ton grown, including wax content
of the cotton (a higher level is ben
eficial in processing); seed index,
or the mass and weight of seeds;
germination tests; staple length,
which looking into how long the
fibers are (Pennsylvania white cot
ton’s staple length went as long as
VA inches); and a stickiness test,
or how much fiber can be expected
to stick to machinery or metal.
Other tests looked into Tiber
strength, fiber elongation, upper
length, short Tiber content, and
micronairc (which measures fine
ness and maturity). The grower,
noted Polly, “wants to have cotton
Jng, 16, Is jnibr at Hempfield High School,
Landlsville. The daughter of Russell and Barbara Woodling,
Landisville, Sarah found out some Interesting information
in the second year of a two-year study, “A Comparison of
European and American Egg Processing and Storage
Methods.**
with the longest fiber, strongest mity of the fibers—and she found
fiber, and low microns ire (mean- this consistently in the colored cot
ing they want it more fine), with ton from Pennsylvania. Polly
good wax content.” wants to try breeding fra-improved
Growers are also looking for . red natural colored cotton, perhaps
improved upper length and unifor- (Turn to Pogo B 15)
... Jy*.
Ephrata, came across an article In a science magazine In 9th
grade about using electro-osmosis in soil remidiatlon.
Simply put, Ben was fascinated by how electrical streams
decreased the friction of a rotating drill bit and added to
depth of penetration. Ben wondered, could electricity be
used to “move 11 contaminants out of the soil?