The Savannah morning news., 1900-12-23
WORKERS ~ DARKNESS.
Original Plowmen Who Have GlH-
sards. an Acute sense of smell and
Enormous ApprtIte~.

cards, an acute sense 81 rhfhh nv"
Enormous Apprtites.
Earth-worms have q reason for beine
ever 30 much more important than TO
serve as bait for fishermen. For an their
iowly estate. few creatures have dcna
more for mankind. Earth-worms arc not
merely the original ploughmen-ihey have
brought about the condition Of che carth's
surface that makes other ploughing pos
siblo and profitable.
Ficld-crops. for the most part grow AMI
feed upon vegetable mould--the layer OF
warm light b,ackish earth resting upon
the subson Save by grace OF the EARN
worm vegetable mould would exist oniN
In those places whore dead leaves ahd
decayinE Erowths generally, resolve"
themselves INTO their original elements
The earth-worm. which may be- descrio-
"a "a an embodied appetite. eats every.
tbinr-animal matter. green leaves ann
asad ones. twlrgs lcnf-stalls. small stones
and earth. The -csiduum Of an ne casts
I'M on the surface. az the rate, through
ont rsstures and garden-Eround' OF Sonic
,en TONS year Continue the process
hundred years or even nifty, ana many
inches OF line friahle productive soh IT,
suit ,.... -, 1,,yD
Reyond all that. their burrows i't Nv"
tt.bf and air into the subsoil some W.
~ t,,rr,vvs run six feet deep. in winter
w.. ,.orns hibernate IN roundish cham
- n, tho bottom. The chambers az.
- u,tih very small stones or "ai'
,-.,,,,l.d seed A dozen worms sir"p w
.,tber kuoued into squftHhit ~, :.
/ \, .piy IN the winter sleep tnAt AnoF q"
,,us gregarious. At other times tncs ="
~ ,,airs Though they do not in oHp.'
ID. arpear very sensible OF s'Nn'' i,
~ mat In hot dry weather they
most AS far down as lhey % 'n '''o
OF winter .or,,ir perccp-
- - rgbt rctreating before u 10 tue"
49,, W.. vibration also affects mem
49, s.,. the country folk, the W.
,.,. hsbit OF drumming 20 ean pl'
-, ~, Ground Their sense 81 sun
-. ana bv help 81 % they hnH ''''''
49,, .i,bar hurled or lying upon ~.
-, As soon hs q ir found the WI ~
ar.e O. TO the hurrow. lhef "e''
,..oeaure OF their smooth. ringer
,rd ~ literally eating out o. VIZ -.
- The digestive apparatus lhc'uet
a crop and gizzard, Ike mos % -.
. .' ne manner OF birds the gizzatHS
- Lcn, supplied with small stones 20
- as nill-stones In grinding down '"e
food. .-.a an round
,,l,h the finely chcwed earth anu 80
',',ne often long after they are un'enaIi r
"A From the dead leaves when maNe
40 large a part % their food the worm
secret bumus-aclds which attack ana he'p
40 dissolve the rocks buried In the son
'rhns the earthworms not merely trans
eorm the soil. chemically and mecnan-
,c.iIv hut add to the bulk OF it-sihc'
oil OF every kind comes from the aislh-
tcrration OF rocks. Further many leave
dragged down into the burrows are onN
r!5vtiv eaten. and deeaying furnish gases
yaich permeate the coil ana react upon
It's mineral element.
Farthworms are the best allies OF those
gentlemen. the antlquaries. A coin. an
arrowhead. spear-point. an inscribed
slab. a tesselated pavement they bury
surely. safely. to await the day OF resuf-
rection. The hurying Is done In TWO
ways-hy castings spread above the thin
10 be buried. and by undermining the soii
beneath. Earth honey-combcd with bur
rows sinks In times Of heavy rain or
frost. Thus in course Of n thousand
years an object may be many feet under
the surface. yet remain exactly as u
fell. Indeed. the wise men declare that
earth-worms in the mass. keep the whole
face OF the planet in state OF gradual
revolution.
Martin MeC Williams