xm 



Technical Discussion; Facts, Figures and References 



IN THIS book, so far, we have purposely avoided technical terms 

 and discussion. We set out to create a mental picture of the 

 importance of the earthworm in nature and to point the way to 

 harnessing the earthworm in the intensive service of man. In 

 our handling of the subject, we have made broad claims for the 

 value of earthworms, some of the claims supported, and some 

 unsupported except by our own experimental findings. For those 

 who are not informed fully on the subject, and for those who 

 might seriously question much of the foregoing, we are glad to 

 reproduce a highly valuable report recently released for publica- 

 tion by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. In 

 this report on "The Chemical Composition of Earthworm Casts," 

 H. A. Lunt and H. G. M. Jacobson have revealed in a few well- 

 written pages the scientific basis of all the claims made for earth- 

 worms by popular writers, including the author if this book. 

 Also, the inclusion of this authoritative report will satisfy the 

 technical and strictly scientific students who might otherwise 

 question, or even throw aside, this book as not worth their atten- 

 tion. 



In the last paragraph of the Lunt and Jacobson report, un- 

 der the heading of "Discussion," we find the statement : "Whether 

 or not it is practicable deliberately to increase the worm popula- 

 tion is another question and one which still lacks an answer." 

 We believe that Harnessing the Earthworm is a very definite 



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