LIVING FISHFOODS 14l 



The culture of these worms is quite easy and requires very little 

 attention after the start is made. Many dealers and fanciers have a 

 supply of enchytrae, from whom a stock can be procured at a slight 

 expense. These are placed in ordinary garden soil from which 

 all worms and larvae have been carefully removed. Wooden or earthen- 

 ware boxes about 15 inches long, 7 inches wide and 6 inches deep may 

 be filled with the earth to a depth of 4 inches. A cover glass must be 

 provided, this setting directly on the soil. Proper feeding is the principal 

 keynote to success. They like thick sour milk, white bread, mashed 

 boiled potato, cheese rinds, etc. In a box of this size, four or five 

 small holes are dug out with a spoon, the food is placed therein 

 and the earth replaced. This is done as often as the food is con- 

 sumed and in three or four weeks the harvest of worms will be 

 ready. Care should be taken not to overfeed, as this will sour 

 the soil. The soil should be removed from the box about every 

 two weeks, broken up, loosened and returned. This is considerably 

 facilitated if about half the soil is composed of leaf mold. The breeding 

 box does best in an average temperature of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. 

 Ants and bettles kill these worms, so they should be excluded if possible. 



The worms are separated from the earth in a number of ways. If 

 but a few are desired the simplest way is to remove two or three spoons 

 full of soil and place in water just deep enough to cover. In a very short 

 time the worms will come out of the soil and entangle themselves in a 

 bunch near the surface of the water, when they may easily be collected. 



Another much quicker method is to take a piece of cardboard (the 

 cover of a shoe-box answers nicely), spreading out a quantity of soil 

 and holding over a mild heat ; this soon causes the worms to crawl to the 

 top of the earth, from which they are removed. However, great care 

 must be exercised that they are not injured by the heat, which would 

 destroy them, for the fish prefer the live worms at all times. As soon as 

 they appear and bunch on the surface of the earth, the heat should be 

 removed. 



Another method of separating the worms from soil is to place a 

 portion of the earth in an enameled dish, pouring on sufficient water to 

 cover soil, and placing a sheet of glass tightly over dish. Because this 

 will prevent sufficient oxygen from penetrating the dirt or water, the 

 enchytrae will promptly leave the soil, crawl up the sides of the dish and 

 on the underside of the glass cover, clinging to same in a variety of 

 entanglements. The cover can then be removed and the worms washed 

 or scraped off and fed to the fish. This, of course, is a slow process, but 

 by preparing an hour or so before it is desired to obtain the worms, an 

 ample supply may be procured. 



