and the fibres of plants ; by drawing straws and 

 stalks of leaves and twigs into it ; and, most of all, by 

 throwing up such infinite numbers of lumps of earth 

 called worm-casts, which, being their excrement, is a 

 fine manure for grain and grass. Worms probably 

 provide new soil for hills, and slopes, where the rain 

 washes the earth away ; and they affect slopes, prob- 

 ably to avoid being flooded. Gardeners and farmers 

 express their detestation of worms ; the former be- 

 cause they render their walks unsightly, and make 

 them much work: and the latter, because, as they 

 think, worms eat their green corn. But these men 

 would find that the earth without worms would soon 

 become cold, hard-bound, and void of fermentation ; 

 and consequently sterile : and besides, in favour of 

 worms, it should be hinted that green corn, plants, 

 and flowers are not so much injured by them as by 

 many species of coleoptera (scarabs) and tipulce (long- 

 legs) in their larva, or grub-state ; and by unnoticed 

 myriads of small shell-less snails, called slugs, which 

 silently and imperceptibly make amazing havoc in 

 the field and garden. 



Farmer Young, of Norton farm, says that this 

 spring (1777) about four acres of his wheat in one field 

 was entirely destroyed by slugs, which swarmed on 

 the blades of corn, and devoured it as it sprang. 



These hints we think proper to throw out in 



order to set the inquisitive and discerning to work. 



A good monography of worms would afford 

 80 



