The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1877-10-12

Forty years ago Mr.. Darwin read q
paper before the Geological Society, In
which he showed that the formation and
the characters Of the so-called "vegeta-
BILE mold" which forms covering sew
eral inches In depth on the surface Of all
productive land, were due, in great
measure, to the constant activity of the
common earth-worm. These animals
burrow through the soil, taking into
their bodies, as they 60, earth from
which TO extract the nutritive matters
on which they subsist; and then, COM
ing TO the surface, deposit the non-nu-
tritious portions Of the earth in the form
Of little heaps. These heaps, accumu-
lating, produce a superficial layer Of
very finely-divided mold, which in the
course Of years forms stratum several
inches thick, eminently suitable for the
growth of plants. The work done by .
single worm is naturally very small but
the insignificance of the individuals Is
quite made up by the immense numbers
in which they exist. Mr.. Darwin adj
duced case in which field well COW
cred with burnt mari and cinders show
I'd in fifteen years four-inch layer Of
mold, the mari and cinders being all
buried in an even layer beneath It. Thus
1.-THE agriculturisti in blowing the ground
follows method strictly natural; and
he only initiates in rude manner, with
out being able to bury the pebbles or to
sift the fine from the coarse soil, the
work which Nature is daily performing
by the agency of the earth-worm.
This most rx,x>,ano oooo o< Tho 80:
mate relation Of animals to plants, and
of both to the processes of sub-aerial
change taking place on the earth's sur
face, has recently been worked out in
great detail by Won Hensen, who,
strange to say, does not seem to have
heard Of Darwin's labors, which he con-
firms and supplements. He states that
the adult worms come to the surface Of
the earth at night, and, with their tails
in the mouths of their burrows, survey
the country round, and collect food in
the shape Of leavs and twigs. These
are heaped up round the entrance, the
leaves being rolled up separately and
partly drawn into the tube, where they
soon become macerated and partially
decomposed, so as 10 form such savory
Won Hensen's observations were con-
Quoted in garden with layer Of mold
nine inches deep and subsoil Of vel
low diluvial sand. The worm-tubes
were not easily traced in the mold, but
were perfectly clear in the sand, rum
ming vertically downward to depth Of
from three to six feet. The tubes were
often found TO be lined with stones
about the size of pins head, brought
from the surface, and fruit-kernels were
also found in them. But the point Of
chief Importance is that the walls of the
burrows were found to be beset with lit
tie black masses of a characteristic
shape-the excrements of the worms.
Besides these fresh inhabited tubes, 9TH
ers were found in which the cavity was
filed with black earth, the black color
being diffused into the surrounding sand,
and these again passed insensibly into
mere black stripes-veins of mold run
ming in the sandy subsoi.
In about half Of the uninhabited tubes
were found the roots Of plants growing
on the surface. These followed exactly
the direction Of the tubes and gave off
fine root-hairs through the black walls
81 the latter. From an extended series
81 observations, Won Hensen states that
he roots Of ANIMALS can only penetrate
INTO the subsoil through channels open
ID out to them by earth-worms; and
ne observes that this penetration must
De of service to the plant, as the SUBJ
'oil retains moisture longer than the
surface layer of mold.
The contents of the intestines and the
of worms show great SINH
arity in microscopical and chemical
haracters to !" vegetable mold" (Blat-
ererde) formed by mixing together rot
ing leaves and sand and leaving them
Or about two years, after which time
he leaves are found to have undergone
omplete decomposition, very few
cells being discoverable among
and-grains and brown organic MOLE
ules.
To ascertain the precise part taken
Y the earth-worm in the production of
MS vegetable mold, Won Hensen placed
vo worms in glass vessel filled with
and, on the surface Of which was
pread a LAYER Of fallen leaves. The
Torms set to work at once, and after
bout six weeks the surface of the sand
'as found 10 be covered with layer of
lold nearly half an inch deep, while
lany leaves had been carried to depth
three inches. Worm-tubes ran in all
irections through the sand. Some
ere quite fresh; others had a wall Of
lold an eighth Of an inch thick; others
gain were completely filed with mold.
j short, the soil Of the vessel was al
sady perfectly well prepared for the
rowth Of plants.
A single worm weighs about 40
rains, and produces in "a hours nearly
grains Of excrementitious matter.
here are, on an average, about $4,000
orms to an acre of ground, the COM
med weight Of which is over 22O
ounds, and which together pass
rough their bodies and reduce to a
ne state of division about 81 pounds
mold in "a hours. Besides this, they
reduce uniform distribution Of the
old, open up passages in the subsoil
II roots, and render the subsoil fertile,
hey thus perform for the agricultur-
/ an office which is not only valuable
I'd extensive, but quite inimitahc.-
Ne Nineteenth Century.