Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-05-13
Friday, May Is, 1910.
DEsPIsE NOT sMALLTHINGs


Great and learned men hav,
found nothing too mean or low
IN nature but there was some ust
for,and fromit could draw lessons
OF value. The scientist Darwin
during thirty years found time
and pleasure in the study of the
earth worm (angle> worm). writ
: ing a book on its life. habits
and usefulness. During some
twenty years he kept his eye and
intellect on certain fields inhab-
tied by these (and all fields are)
little creatures.
Agricultural scientists are CROP
ing afterleguminous plants which
may be found to bring to the top
from below the surface certain
elements of soil that will improve
the land quickly. In the earth
worm is found a slow but steady
aid IN this direction. The surface
OF allearths, even under the leaves
OF, arforest, is gradually under
gong a change-a change, with
out which the land would become
sterile-by the work of these
squlrming creatures that the bov
delights to spit upon his fish,
hook. We see land that is dead.
drowned and baked perhaps.
scalded. Scratch around and 40
sign OF animal life can be found.
Alkalis, deadly poison to the
worm, exist there and the little
creatures are not to be found.
Flow 1T, turn in vegetable mold.
arr it, the acid disappears, and
ait IS peopled with animal life.
ana IN few years it is made pro-
ductfve-not so much through
man agency, except as q starter,
as through the myriads of insects
the Great Creator puts there for
mans benefit An acre of garden
patch has been estimated to con-
tain $4,000 thousand earth
worms, weighing In all 35OI
pounds. A flock of robins NAV
make n mornings meal off the
squlrmlng things and in TWENTY
four hours the original number
will be replete. /
But for the earth-worm the
FARMER orgardener would becomel
bankrupt5ps providing fertilizers
Land inbtsLHted by. theirl-and all /
fertile soil isis provided with n
new surface annually ut the rate
OF one-iifth TO one-third ofan inch. |,
In the spring and summer wei
notice the. surface of paths or
other uhlisturbed spots. on a
morplIYsqfter arain, to hedotted
with little worm holes and
mounftSso 5easted earth. These
ca stff'sys#ate Brought to the sur
lace blythe angle worm in bur
rowing his holes and in throwing
out from his body the earth
which, he swallows to extract
rom it sustenance. Just as some
hshes swim with open mouths
ana seiNe. the water through
their gllls,5 SO the earth worm
swailowsiri n. short period MANY
tlmeshis weight of earth, extract
ing food and castingout the soil
FROM the depths the little crea-
lures bfingsoil possessing differ
ent properties to take the place
OF THAT robbed by air and sun
and plant and man of life-oiyin0
substance. When disturbed bV
the pillow or spade, he works all
the more assiduously to open up
burrows, thus aiding the tiller of
the soil, eoblivious of his good
deed to the man. Stones along
the river bank, or in the forest =
lndisturbed by man for genera, =
lions, gradually settle and sink
beneath the surface, as we are
prone to think because of their
weight, but it is solely by the
agency of worms which under
nine them and are constantly
up around it their little
arth castings.