94 HARNESSING THE EARTHWORM 



breeders in his culture bed. Once adequate breeding stock has 

 been developed, earthworm production can be carried into astro- 

 nomical figures very quickly by composting and handling the 

 material properly. The life of one man is too short to carry 

 out original research into the subject. But this is not necessary, 

 as the facts have already been established through long years 

 of experimentation by many different people. Darwin's experi- 

 ments and research extended over a period of more than fifty 

 years before he published his findings. Since the time of Dar- 

 win, literally thousands of experimenters, including scientists, 

 laymen, and practical farmers and gardeners, have verified the 

 facts which he established. Therefore, it is not necessary to 

 carry out long experimentation for verification of the basic facts. 

 Our advice to those who desire to make a start in earth- 

 worm culture is: Secure an adequate supply of domesticated 

 earthworm egg-capsules, or a culture of domesticated earthworms, 

 and go to work. The technique of intensive propagation and 

 use is so simple that a child can understand and follow it. Ma- 

 terials used in breeding earthworms are the same materials that 

 should be incorporated into the soil anyway in building up and 

 maintaining a high state of productive fertility. By utilizing 

 these materials through earthworm culture, results are much more 

 quickly obtained and more satisfactory than by the ordinary 

 methods. After all is said, the main expense in soil-building is 

 the time and labor spent. Once earthworm culture is established, 

 the small initial investment of money in making the right start is 

 soon absorbed in increased land values, increased production, and 

 increased living satisfaction. 



