The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-10-25
The Use of Earth.W0rms.

Forty years ago Mr.. Darwin read
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 go, 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 superficial layer of
very finely-divided mold, which in the
course of years forms a stratum several
inches thick, eminently suitable for the
growth of plants. The work done by a
single worm is naturally very small but
| the insignifcance of the individuals is
quite made up by the immense numbers
in which they exist. Mr.. Darwin adj
duced case in which field we'll COW
ed in fifteen years a four-inch layer of
mold, the mari and cinders being all
buried in an even layer beneath it. Thus
"the agriculturist in blowing the ground
follows method strictly natural; and
he only initiates in a 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 curious case of the init
mate relation of animals to plants, and
of both to the processes of sub-aerial
change taking place On the earth's sur
great detail by Won Hensen, who,
strange to say, does not SEEN 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 TO form such savory
meat as the worms soul loveth.
Won Hensen's observations were con-
Quoted in a garden with layer of mold
nine inches deep and subsoil of yell
low diluvial sand. The worm-tubes
were not easily traced in the mold, but
were perfectly clear in the sand, run
ming vertically downward to a 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 characteristic
shape-the excrements of the worms.
Besides these fresh inhabited tubes, 9TH
ers were found in which the cavity was
filled 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 subsoil.
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
of the latter. From an extended series
OF observations, Won Hensen states that
the roots of ANIMALS can only penetrate
into the subsoil through channels open
ed out to them by earth-worms; and
he observes that this penetration must
be of service to the plant, as the SUBJ
soil retains moisture longer than the
surface layer of mold.
The contents of the intestines and the
excretions of worms show a great SINH
larity in microscopical and chemical
characters to vegetable mold" (Blat-
tererde) formed by mixing together rot
ting leaves and sand and leaving them
for about two years, after which time
the leaves are found to have undergone
complete decomposition, very few
shriveled cells being discoverable among
sand-grains and brown organic mole
cules.
To ascertain the precise part taken
by the earth-worm in the production of
this vegetable mold, Won Hensen placed
two worms in a glass vessel filled with
sand, on the surface of which was
spread q layer of fallen leaves. The
worms set to work at once, and after
about six weeks the surface of the sand
was found to be covered with layer of
mold nearly half all inch deep, while
many leaves had been carried to depth
of three inches. Worm-tubes ran in all
directions through the sand. Some
were quite fresh; others had wall of
mold an eighth of an inch thick others
again were completely filled with mold.
In short, the soil of the vessel was al
ready perfectly well prepared for the
growth of plants.
A single worm weighs about 40
and y,,oIuooc -, 81 ho,,r, ~, IL