CONCERNING LAWNS 847 



how much he knows about the subject let the 

 following incident show. 



One evening I was with Mr. Frank E. Beddard 

 at his club, and taking advantage of the occasion, 

 asked him some question about earthworms, he 

 being the greatest authority in the universe on the 

 subject. It happened that another friend of his, 

 a famous angler, was sitting near and overheard our 

 conversation. 



" Ah, yes — worms," he said. " Before I forget 

 all about it, I want to ask you if the worm we dig 

 up in the sand for bait is the same as the common 

 earthworm." 



" No," said the other. 



" Well, but they are both worms, are they 

 not ? " 



" Yes." 



" And if they are both worms, what's the 

 difference ? " 



" They are both worms, and differ as much as a 

 cat from a squirrel — both mammals." 



And that was all he would say : the subject of 

 their differences could not be profitably discussed 

 on that occasion and with persons who knew so 

 little. 



Like everybody else I had read Darwin's classic, 

 but what one reads does not inform the mind 

 much unless one observes and thinks for oneself 

 at the same time. The wonderful story of the 

 action of earthworms on the earth's surface only 

 came home to me during the excavations at 



