DOMESTICATED EARTHWORMS 93 



It is a medium-sized worm, averaging only three to four 

 inches in length when fully mature. This is especially advan- 

 tageous in the case of delicate flowers and fine seedlings, as the 

 small worm riddles the earth with its fine aerating tunnels with- 

 out disturbing the tiny rootlets and without drying out the soil 

 too much. 



Such, in brief, is the story of the evolution of the "domes- 

 ticated earthworm." I feel that in writing your book on Harness- 

 ing the Earthworm you are doing a real and lasting service to 

 humanity. I look forward with keen interest and anticipation 

 to its publication. 



Cordially yours, 



GEORGE SHEFFIELD OLIVER 



DOMESTICATED EARTHWORMS VERSUS 

 NATIVE EARTHWORMS 



The question is frequently asked, "Why go to the expense 

 of purchasing domesticated earthworms, if native earthworms 

 do the same work?" Our answer is that anything worth doing 

 is worth doing well. By taking advantage of the experience of 

 those who have spent years in study and research, the beginner 

 can avoid many mistakes and much expensive labor. Earthworm 

 culture is very much the same as working with other animals 

 or with plants. The labor is the main cost put into the work. 

 It takes just as much time to work with scrub stock as with 

 thoroughbreds. It takes the same amount of time to grow a 

 seedling tree as to grow some choice variety that has been de- 

 veloped and tested. 



While earthworm culture can be established and developed 

 with the available native worms, it pays to make the start with 

 the domesticated variety, as they are sure to be prolific, are 

 adaptable to all sorts of food and soil, and will work the year 

 round where the temperature is warm enough. The small ex- 

 pense of starting right is soon absorbed in the results obtained. 

 One friend wrote us that he started with 250 earthworm egg- 

 capsules and within two years he estimated that he had 500,000 



