Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-22
III TOBA.
\ PnrGniory for Anglcrs-No Earth
MOrms Ihcre.
tRo6crt Mllcr Chrlstv, in Natuic.l

Robert Miller Christy, in Nauicl
Not by any means the least remarkable
of the very notable series of works which
Mr.. Darwin has given to the world is that
which came last from his pen but a short
time previous to his lamented death.
Dealing as it does with effects which.
when looked at in the detail. are exceed
ingly small and insignificant, but, when
viewed in the aggregate, are shown to be
of surprising Importance, the "Vegctable
Mould and Earthworms" must certainly
rank rs most strikingly interesting
work.
1t is not my desire to call in question
the conclusions at which Mr. Darwin has
arrived with regard to the action of earth
worms in cultivating the SOIL but | wish
to point out that i'll one extensive portion
of the earth's surface, to which much at
tcntion has of late been directed on ac-
count of its agricultural capabilities,
carthworms do not exist. | refer to the
vast region known as Manitoba and north
west territories NY friend. Mr.. L. Z. T.
Seton of Carberrv, Manitoba, was the
first to point out to me that this enormous
country must be regarded as forming an
exception to Mr. Darwin congratulations,
on account of the total absence from it of
every kind of earthworm, and, having
lately returned from a visit to those re-
gions, l can add my testimony to his in
this particular as well as in the matter of
the amazing innate fertility of the soil,
which has been the wonder and remark of
all travellers for years past, but which, in
this case, obviously cannot be attributed
to the action of worms since these do not
exist there.
The agency which | believe has caused
the absence Of earthworms from the
northwest is the prairies fires which an
nually sweep over enormous portions Of
the country, totally consuming the grass
and converting it into black ash. This,
it might well be imagined, would for
months together completely deprive any
worms that formerly existed of that
variety of decaying vegetable matter that
composes their food ; and assuming that
fires have annually passed over large por-
tiOns of the prairies for scores of genera
tions Gas seems in every way probable), it
appears to 1ne onl y reasonable to suppose
that this cause would effectually have ex-
terminated the worms from the country or
have prevented tleir occupying it. 1t is
my belief (as | shall elsewhere state
more fully that the very fertile, fine,
black, powdery, and almost soot-like soil
from one to three feet thick, even the
open, treeless nature of the prairie them
selves, and the absence from their sur
face, SO far as my observation goes, of
every species of mollusk, while many
species abound in all the ponds, lakes,
and streams, are all il large degree, il
not entirely, due to the action OF the fire.
Ii this view ultimately turns out to be
correct, it will be further seen that the
very means which has deprived the soil
OF the northwest Of that natural cultiva
ton which the soils of most other coun.
tries enjoys has, at the same time, liberal
ly supplied II with manure resulting
from the charred ashes of the grass whicl
annually burned.
As another evidence of the absence o.
worms, the numerous large plucial bowl
ders that strew the pralrles around Bran
don and elsewhere may he cited. These
had worms existed, would doubtless hav,
long ago been lowered beneath the sur
face, as also the skulls and other bones ol
bullaloes, which 50 abound on the prai
ries, and most of which have evidentl,
lain there long while. Nevertheless
some of these have been Lured in th
course of time, rs one gentleman told mi
that he had sometimes turned them III
from depth of two or three inches be
meath the surface when plowing. Thei
burial may have been accomplished b.
the wind drifting soil over them, or b
the working of gophers. OF these pecu
liar little animals two species are yer
abundant on the prairies, where the
make extensive burrows, which it seem
possible may to some extent accomplis
the natural cultivation of the soil in th
way worms are accustomed to do it els,
where.