A WORM NURSERY. 13 



Savage. The business of worm- selling has been going 

 on some ten years, and is gradually increasing. The 

 worms are not counted out, but are guessed at. Mr. 

 Wells gives good measiu'e. A member of the Piscatorial 

 Society told me that he once counted out one of Wells's 

 '' thousand worm bags." He found he had 300 worms 

 over. Nottingham worms are well known in all angling 

 localities. Last year he sent to London alone the large 

 number of 400,000 worms. The price varies much. 

 They average 3s. 6d. per 1,000. The worms are 

 ^principally used for barbel-fishing. 



Not only does Mr. Wells collect worms, but he also 

 breeds them in considerable quantities. In his garden 

 is a special heap made of vegetable matter, expressly for 

 the purpose of breeding worms. I shall not, of course, 

 say what substance for worm-breeding is most favour- 

 able : this is a professional secret. On turning the 

 heap over where the worms are bred, it was very inte- 

 resting to see the worms in various stages of growth. 

 Mr. Wells knows from experience pretty well what the 

 age of a worm is. I had the pleasure of pointing out 

 to him the eggs of the worm. These are about three 

 lines long, and somewhat oval. They have a sort of 

 lid at each end, which opens when the young are 

 liberated. I believe that two young are sometimes 

 produced fi'om the same egg. 



I think my readers will agree with me that Mr. 

 Wells's business in his worm farm is quite unique. I 

 wish him every success, and the patronage of all 

 anglers. 



