88 HARNESSING THE EARTHWORM 



eradicable memories and impressions, with definite knowledge 

 of the value of earthworms, which many years later led him 

 into intensive earthworm farming. More than forty years after 

 leaving his grandfather's farm, Dr. Oliver found himself en- 

 gaged in 'landscape gardening. His mind naturally turned to 

 ways and means for utilizing his early knowledge of earthworms. 

 Recalling that great earthworm culture bed in his grandfather's 

 barnyard, about which the whole economy of the farm revolved, 

 he began his own experiments with earthworms, which led to 

 the development of the domesticated earthworm. To the day of 

 his death Dr. Oliver was firmly convinced that he had succeeded 

 in producing a hybrid earthworm. This point is not highly im- 

 portant. The important point is that through his work of 

 selective feeding and breeding he did succeed in producing an 

 earthworm with characteristics which answer perfectly all the 

 requirements for intensive propagation and use. To get first- 

 hand information on the development of this modified worm, we 

 applied to Dr. Oliver himself. The story is best given in his own 

 words, a letter written under the date of January 30, 1940, which 

 we quote as follows : 



DEAR DOCTOR BARRETT: 



In answer to your request for information about the develop- 

 ment of what you call the domesticated earthworm, it is a long 

 story. It would take a rather large book to record the details 

 of my ups and downs while experimenting with earthworms. I 

 will try to give you the essential facts as briefly as possible. To 

 begin with, your term "domesticated earthworm" is a quite ap- 

 propriate name, for the worms which I have developed certainly 

 like to live at home. One of their most valuable charcteristics 

 is that they do not wander away from the vicinity where the 

 home colony has been established. 



As you know, my interest in earthworms dates from the 

 time I lived for a number of years on my grandfather's farm 

 back in Ohio. Later on, Charles Darwin brought out his famous 

 book on the Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action 

 of Earthworms, which confirmed in a scientific way what I had 



