78 HARNESSING THE EARTHWORM 



of trees through the aid of earthworms, it is important to under- 

 stand fully the source of nutrition for the worms as well as for 

 the trees. There is much more sustenance in the soil than may 

 be derived from the gross forms of vegetation in and above 

 the earth. So, in considering the life of a tree and its nutrition, 

 it is well to examine the elements which enter into its growth 

 and maintenance. 



We stand in awed amazement as we contemplate a Sequoia 

 gigantea, towering nearly three hundred feet into the air, bear- 

 ing within its bulk trainloads of material, carrying concealed 

 within its growth-rings its recorded age record of perhaps three 

 to five thousand years. Where did it come from, how did it 

 grow, from what hidden source does its mighty heart draw its 

 inconceivable strength? No man has carried small bags of 

 chemical fertilizer in a foolish attempt to help nourish this tree 

 into its giant size. No man-made plow has disturbed the sur- 

 face of the earth at its base. Yet here it stands, with a life- 

 span reaching toward a geological age. We are reminded of 

 the scriptural injunction, "Consider the lilies, how they grow," 

 and might well paraphrase the line to read, "Consider the trees, 

 how they grow !" 



When we come to orcharding with the aid of earthworms, 

 we should not be too much concerned about fertilizers, or worry 

 at all about cultivation. The thing to do is to offer a little 

 friendly cooperation with nature, stand back, and watch the tree 

 grow. 



While the same principles apply to orcharding in general, 

 our studies of the earthworm in orcharding have been confined 

 for the most part to citrus orcharding, by reason of the fact 

 that we live in Southern California where citrus fruit is the main 

 orcharding industry. Some time ago we visited the great orange- 

 growing section around Riverside, California, the particular end 

 of our journey being "Hanford Loam," a grove which the 

 owner, Mr. Frank Hinckley, has operated by the non-cultivation 

 method for a period of more than twenty years. Mr. Hinckley 



