The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1877-10-19
ANGLE WORM CULTURE.
A Singufar Industry worms |"
Trained.

- V'"kutuf mummy INV
Trained.
When at Nottingham, a few days ago,
] was much pleased at the discovery OF
an entirely new industry-namely, the
rearing and educating of worms for the
purposes of anglers. Mr. Wells, fishing
tackle maker, Of Sussex street, Noting
ham, carries on a business and trade In
worms. He has several people in his
employ who collect worms every favor
able night during the year. He sells the
following kinds of worms-namely, lob
or dew worm, the cockspur, and the ring
tailed branding. IN dry weather worms
are very scarce, the men have TO water
the ground for them. in wet weather
the worms are better and heavier. They
are caught in the meadows and pasture
lands in the neighborhood. The supply
is not failing.
The worms are sold by the thousand or
the quart. In a warm, moist night from
1000 to 5000 worms are brought in by
the collectors. Some people a collect
worms much better than Others. The
worms are very cunning, and are apt to
pop back into their holes if the person
treads heavily.
When the worms are brought in Mr..
Wells at once begins his training opera
tons, by placing them in properly Sc
lected moss. Stag's horn moss will not
do at ALT is too harsh. Grass is bad.
field moss is the best. The worms are
put into the moss to scour. A fresh
caught worm is very delicate and tender,
and easily breaks up when put on the
hook.
When a worm is properly educated ne
is as tough as a bit of india-rubber and
behaves as a worm should when put on a
hook. The way to test p worm is to take
him up and pass the finger gently down
the length Of him. If anything comes
out of him he is not fit, and is put back
for further training. The meaning of
this is that the wild worms contain, more
or less, food undergoing digestion. When
put into the moss this food disappears
The moss in some way facilitates this
operation, but | cannot quite see how
this is, unless the worms disgorge all
their former food, and practically be-
COM very little else than skin.
The keeping of worms depends very
much upon the weather. They will not
keep well above a week. Mr.. Wells has
a supply OF worms ready fol his custom
ers ali the year round. He goes over his
moss very frequently, picking out the
mangled and mashed worms, and only
sending to market the plump and healthy
ones, which are packed up for market in
moss. The bags used are of light canvas.
Not only does Mr.. Wells collect worms,
but he also breeds them in considerable
quantities. In his garden is a special
heap made of vegetable matter, expressly
for the purpose of breeding worms. l
shall not, of course, say what substance
for worm breeding is most favorable /;
this is a professional secret. On turning
the heap over where the worms are bred,
it was really very interesting to see the
worms in the various stages of growth.
Mr.. Wells knows from experience pretty
well what the age of a worm is. l had
the pleasure of pointing out 10 hin the
eggs of the worm. These are about three
lines long, and somewhat oval. They
had a sort of lid at each end, which opens
when the young are liberated. | believe
that two young are sometimes produced
from the same egg.
The business of worm selling has been
going on some ten years and is gradually
increasing.-Frank auckland IN Land
and Winter.