The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-10-11
A WORM FARMAT NOTTlCHAM, ENC
AMI

When at Nottingham few days
AGO. 7 was much pleased at the dis
coyery of an entirely new industry,
namely, the rearing and edncatlon OF
worms for the purposes OF anglers:
Mr.. Wells, fiishing-tackle maker, OF
Sussex street, Nottingham, carries on
a business and trade in worms. lie
has several people in his employ who
collect worms every favorable night
during the wear. He sells the follow
inp kinds of worms, namely, the lob
or dew worm, the cockspur, and the
ring tailed branding. lndry weather
worms are very scarce; the men nave
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 1all-
ing. =,
The worms are sold by the thousand
or the quart. In a warm, moist mghI
from two to six thousand worms are
brought in by the collectors. Some
people can collect worms much better
than others. The worms are very
cunning, and are apt to pop back into
their holes if the person treads heaV'
| lily.
When the worms are brought in,
| Mr.. Wells at once begins his training
operations by placing them in properly
selected moss. Stays horn moss VIII
not do at all, it is too harsh. Grass IS
bad. Field moss is the best. the
worms are put into the moss TO scour.
| A fresh-caught worm isyery dellloate
and tender, and easily breaks up when
put on the hook. When worm is
properly educated he is as tough as q
bit of india rubber, and behaves as
worm should when put on hook. The
way to test worm is to take HIM W
and pass the finger gently down the
length of him. If anything comes out
of him he is not fit, and is put back fol
further training. The meaning OF
this is that the wild worms contain
more or less food undergoing diges
ton. 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 become very little
else than skin.
The keeping of worms depends very
much upon the weather. They vii
not keep well above week. Mr. Wells
has supply of worms ready for hl'
customers all the year round. liz
goes over his moss very frequently
picking out the mauled and mashed
worms, and only sending to marke
the plump and healthy ones, which
are packed up for market in moss; thu
bags used are of light canvas.
Not only does M. Wells COLES
worms, but he also breeds them II
) considerable quantities. In his gardel
} is special heap made of vegetabl
: matter, expressly for the purpose 0
, breeding worms.
: ] shall not, of course, say VIVA
r substance for mountaineering is mos
4 favorable: this is professional secret
r On turning the heap over where I'll
i worms are bred, it was very lnteres
e ing to see the worms in various stage
r of Growth. Mr.. Wells knows froI
experience pretty well what the az
of a worm is. had the pleasure
nointing out to him the eggs OF tn
worm. These are about three line
g long. and somewhat oval. Ihey ma
! . sort of lid at each end, which oper
e when the young are liberated.
g believe that two young are sometime
= produced from the same egg.
The business of worm selling n;
: been going on some ten years and
J gradually increasing.-Frank Bue
? land. in Land and Water.
:, 49,