LITTLE WORKERS. 
63 
drags leaves and straws into the ground for food, 
or for stopping up the way into its tunnel. Some 
of these leaves rot in the ground and turn into 
leaf-mould, which is good for plants. 
3. But the earthworm finds most of its food in 
the rich mould amongst which leaves and other 
things have rotted. After filling its body with 
this mould, it draws from it what is good for its 
own food, and then casts out the rest. In the 
worm's body the earth is well mixed, and is thus 
made even better for plants than it was at first. 
4. It is good for a field to have fresh, fine soil 
brought out to the top, where the wind and rain 
can spread it about. Through the worm-holes, 
air and water can pass far into the soil. And 
both air and water are needful for the roots of 
plants. 
5. Even when earth crumbles into the little 
tunnels some good is done; for then stiff* clods 
are broken up and the soil is made loose, so that 
it is easy for roots to grow into it. 
6. Ants also do much good to the soil. It is 
true that these insects often do harm by making 
their nests near plants or trees so as to disturb 
the roots; or they destroy plants by biting off 
the leaves, or by gnawing into the stems. But 
in other ways they do good. 
7. To form their nests they dig out hollows and 
V 
