Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1860-02-09
farm ann earnelr.
Earth o Angle Worms.

The common eCrth or aDgle-worD
infests most old gardens, and rich
soils generally, much to the detri-
ment of the appearance of the for
mer, where Feat walks and alleys are
always desirable. They usually come
to the surface in rains aud after hea-
Wy dews, {hence taking the name Of
deac. worm. bringing with them a
portion of the soil, and leaving their
casts and trails wherever they move.
These facts are generally noticed,
but few have studied their uses OF
sought to know the part they per-
form in the economy of nature. In
stead of being, as is generally sup
posed, detrimental to the r,they
are labosers with him in the improve.
ment of the soil. A scientific wri
ter on zoology says:
"The burrowing Of earth-worms is
a process exceedingly useful to the
garden and agriculturist; and these
animals are far more useful to the
man in this way, than they are inju'
rious by destroying vegetables. They
give a kind of under tillage. to the
land, performing the same below the
glound that The spade does above for
the garden, and the pillow for arabic
land, loosening the earth so as to rem
der it permeable TO air and water.
1t has lately been shown that they
will even add to the depth of soil;
covering barren tracts with layer OF
productive mold. Thus, in fields
that have been oyerspread with lime.
burnt mari, or cinders, these substsn,
ces are in time covered with finely di.
vided soil, well adapted to the support
OF vegetation.
"That this result-wbich ia most
commonly attributed by farmers to
the working down of the material in
question is really due to the action
of the earth-worm, appears from the
fact that in The soil thus formed large
numbers of worm casts may be dis
tinguished. These are produced by
the digestive process OF the worms.
which take into their intestinal canal
large quantity of :he soil through
which they barrow, extract from it
great part Of the decayiDg vegetable
matter it may contain, and eject the
rest 10 finely divided state. In
this manner q field MANFRED with
mari has become covered, in the
course of so years, with a bed Of
earth averaging thirteen inches in
thickness.
Another author speaks Of the au-
gle.worm, (lam6Ieus terrestris;) as
the natural manurer Of the soil, and
the ready indicator Of its improved
state. 1t consumes on the surface
of the ground, where they would soon
be injurious, the softer parts Of de.
eayed vegetable matters, and conveys
into the soil the more woody flbres,
where they moulder and become re.
duoed to simple nutriment, fitting
for living vegetation. The parts
consumed by them are soon returned
to the surface, whence dissolved, by
frosts and scattered by rains, they
circulate again in the plants of the
soil, a ceaseless rotation "deaih still
producing life."
These worms are tender creatures,
and water remaining few days over
their haunts browns them; they east
ly become frozen, unless they enter
deeper into the earth to escape the
cold. No sooner is the frost out Of
the ground, than they come to the
surface and 60 to work again. We
have observed that a certain degree
of moisture seems necessary to their
activity; they 60 down to the depth
of eighteen inches or two feet 10 ex.
IRENE dry weather. We have found
them knotted 10 compact ball in g
dry, hard SubsoiI SO hard as to require
a pick to penetrate it. Various 9TH
er characteristics in their natural his
tory might be mentioned, but as they
do not refer particularly to their ag-
ricultural uses, we leave them TO the
research of the curious reader.
CURE FOR FIsTULo.-From one Of