46 
The Irish Naturalist. 
March. 
Professor Carpenter wrote again on Decern Der ist, 
1902 :— '* The enclosed annelids seem to me very similar 
to the species of Enchytraeus you kindly examined for me 
early in the year. ' These are said to be very destructive to 
Swede Turnips. Could you kindly identify the species, and 
let me know if any reliable application for getting rid of 
these worms is known ? " The locality was given as Co; 
Sligo, and a good deal of correspondence followed. 
In this case I believe that the Enchytraeus was quite 
a secondary cause of trouble, Finger-and-Toe and the 
SHme fungus having prepared the way for its entrance to 
the plants. 
The year 1903 brought a recrudescence of the celery 
disease, for on February 3rd Prof. Carpenter sent me a 
further supply of worms which he had received. I noted 
five species of earthworms, in addition to Enchytraeus 
albidus, diud a species of Fridericia. The two latter are 
white worms (Enchytraeidae). On the 21st of February 
came a sample of earth containing Enchytraeids which were 
said to be injuring Turnips in Co. Mayo. 
The correspondence respecting worms injurious to celery 
was continued in January and February, 1904, after which 
followed another break of nearly a decade. My next notes 
of an economic character are dated 1912. In the Irish 
Naturalist for that year (vol. xxi., pp. 171-4), will be found 
ah article on Irish Oligochaets, based upon material supplied 
by the Rev. W. F. Johnson, of Acton Glebe, Poyntzpass. 
In the following year (Irish Naturalist, vol. xxii., pp. 7-11), 
the matter was still further discussed, and a new species of 
Henlea described. It may be of interest, however, to add 
a few sentences from Mr. Johnson's letters which deal with 
the conditions under which the worms were found, and the 
plants affected. 
The first extract is from a letter dated May 7th, 1912. 
" My wife, who is an ardent gardener, accuses the worms of 
injuring this plant ; so I send plant, worms and all for you 
to examine, and I shall be greatly obliged if you wall inform 
irie whether you think the worm is to blame or not." After 
the appearance of my article containing the first report, Mr. 
Johnson wrote as follows: — ''Our garden is an old one. 
