618 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 28, 1887. 
Salt's Crimson Perfection is a magnified Pontic. 
Dancer’s Early Red is a tall-growing, small-leaved, 
much-fluted variety, of no particular account. Tobolsk 
I never grew. Mitchell's Early Albert I had to give 
up, being too small for me, though I did not prove it, 
perhaps, as thoroughly as I ought to have done. 
Kershaw’s Paragon is a much-lauded mid-season 
variety, which, however, with me does not, like many 
much-bepraised things, bear out what its raiser said of 
it. It was sent out in the autumn of 1882, and w r as 
raised by Mr. Charles Kershaw, of Sleadsyke Nurseries, 
Brighouse, Yorkshire. It is not very early, nor par¬ 
ticularly distinguished for anything except that (so far 
with me) it never seeds. It is apparently a seedling 
from Dancer’s Early Ked. It is said to be a cross 
between Tobolsk and Victoria, ready to pull in February, 
and of a splendid red colour, but has not proved so with 
me. 
The raiser of the St. Martin’s Rhubarb is Mr. W. W. 
Johnstone, of St. Martin’s Abbey, Perth, now manager 
of Messrs. F. & A. Dickson’s nursery. It was raised from 
Victoria about 1846 or 1847. It was first sent out in 
1869 by Messrs. W. P. Laird and Sinclair, of Dundee, 
who bought the entire stock from Mr. Johnstone. It 
comes ten daj 7 s earlier than Albert or Linmeus. Mr. 
Johnstone says, “I raised this from seed saved from 
Victoria in 1846 or 1847. The seedling plant (one out 
of about a hundred) for two seasons showed itself to be 
so much earlier than the other seedlings, or any other 
variety I cultivated that I divided it, and after repeated 
trials grew it to the exclusion of every other kind, 
except Victoria, a second early with me, and deficient 
in colour.” 
Mid-season and Late Varieties. 
Linnjeus and Victoria are mid-season varieties 
raised by Mr. Myatt somewhere early in the“Forties,” 
one light coloured, large, early ; the other red, 
highly coloured, large and late. Mr. Gilbert says 
in a letter to me “I cannot fix the date of introduction, 
but Linmeus and Tobolsk we got from Mr. Myatt of 
Arundel Castle Gardens in or about 1845. I remember 
planting them well.” Perhaps the date of their raising 
would be about 1830 or 1832. 
Stott’s Monarch was raised by Messrs. Stuart & 
Mein about twenty-three years ago. On communicating 
with the firm to ratify my research, they confirm that 
conclusion, not being able to fix the precise year, but 
saying that from 1860 to 1863 was the time. They 
were kind enough to add that besides being of enormous 
size, and one of the best late varieties, they recommend 
it as a sub-tropical plant—clumps often reaching 10 ft. 
or 12 ft. across. They add that they have crossed it 
with Victoria, and are working up the progeny. It 
combines the size, lateness, and the scarlet colour of 
Victoria. 
The Utility of Rhubarb. 
What are the claims of Rhubarb on the gardener 1 
I maintain that its claims are powerful, unique. It 
claims to be an esculent satisfying the refined tastes of 
the rich, and supplies the poor with a good and healthy 
article of food. It can claim that though a vegetable, 
it has the inestimable, wholesome, salutary and at¬ 
tractive qualities of the finest fruit. 11 furnishes an 
ornamental plant for our parks and large gardens, 
having peculiar and striking beauties of its own, as to 
form and spread of leaves, stateliness, and beauty of 
flower stems. It has claims on us as a medicine of 
some 3,000 years standing. It is one of the most 
accommodating of plants, adapting itself to almost 
every variety of position and climate, placing itself 
within reach of the poorest. 
-->X<-- 
EARTH-WORMS AND THEIR 
WORK. 
Formerly, and even now a popular error prevails, 
that worms are of no use whatever on the earth, far less 
to human beings. They are even regarded as the vilest 
of all creatures, and looked upon with a kind of disgust.. 
On the supposition that all things are made for a 
purpose, perhaps someone will be sentimental enough to 
suggest that worms were made to support birds, while 
the angler, with equal justice and hope of support, will 
affirm that they were fashioned and adapted to stick on 
fish-hooks. By those engaged in the tilth of the soil 
they were regarded, and still are to a certain extent, as 
enemies. Darwin did much to wipe away this delusion, 
but he was not, however, the first to discover or assert 
that worms have played, and still are playing, an impor¬ 
tant part in the earth’s history. Loudon published a 
book at least thirty-seven years ago, in which he states 
the following:—“Earth-worms (Lumbricus terrestris) 
unless existing in great numbers,cannot be rankedamong 
injurious animals, notwithstanding the prejudices enter¬ 
tained against them by farmers and gardeners. They 
perforate the earth in every part; and by thus preparing 
the ground to receive moisture, accelerate the progress 
of vegetation. Worms are considered, even to a proverb, 
the meanest of beings ; but without them the world 
would be a desert, and neither animal nor vegetable life 
could be supported.” 
Before proceeding to describe the merits or demerits 
of the worm in garden economy, I shall first introduce 
you to its acquaintance, its bodily structure, manners, 
habits, and distribution, together with its relations in 
some other parts of the world, and if I fail to create a 
personal attachment to it, I hope at least to raise it 
considerably in your estimation. 
The worm is a terrestrial animal, as its specific name 
implies, and lives the greater part of its life beneath 
the surface. It is also semi-aquatic, like the majority 
of the great class to which it belongs, and is most 
active, as we shall hereafter, find after a period of rain, 
or when the ground is soft and moist. Cases are on 
record where worms have been kept alive submerged 
in water for three or four months. Provided the other 
conditions are favourable, they are not susceptible of 
drowning by simple submersion in water. During 
summer, when drought prevails—or, again, in winter, 
when the ground is frost-bound, hard, and dry—the 
worm retires to a more or less considerable depth below 
the surface, and becomes, for the time being, less 
active. In the first case, drought is the cause; while 
in the second, both that and cold induces the worm to 
roll itself in a ball, when it may be said to hibernate, 
or go into winter quarters. 
The cylindrical body of the worm is made up of a 
number of segments or rings, varying from one hundred 
to two hundred, according to the size of the individual. 
These segments, owing to smaller intervening folds, 
appear double in the living animal. The body is, 
further, roughly divided into three parts. The anterior 
part consists of the head, mouth, oesophagus, and crop. 
The middle part resembles a stout smooth ring, and is 
very conspicuous while looking at it with the naked 
eye. It is known as the saddle, and inwardly contains 
the gizzard, or mill, in which the food swallowed is 
ground to render it fit for absorption into the sub¬ 
stance of the body. The hinder, and by far the 
greater, length of the body contains the intestines. Two 
double rows of short bristles or hairs extend along nearly 
the whole length of the body on either side. Strong 
muscles in connection with these move them backwards 
and forwards, by means of which the body is propelled 
either way with considerable rapidity, provided the 
creature is either in its burrow or lying on a rough 
surface. On glass, or a similar smooth surface, these 
bristles obtain no hold for leverage and are consequently 
powerless to move the animal’s body along. The 
intestinal canal runs along the entire length of the 
body, which is bifacial, and presents a dorsal and a 
ventral aspect. Above the intestine runs a cavity, the 
blood-vessel containing a red fluid equivalent to blood. 
Below the intestine is the nerve cord running along 
the ventral side of the body. Everyone is familiar 
with the fact that a worm may be torn asunder in many 
cases before it can be extricated from its burrow. This 
resistance is effected by the double row of setae passing 
along each side of the body. 
Habits. 
"Worms are described as nocturnal in habit, from 
their custom of leaving their burrows at night in dewy 
or wet weather, a fact of which we have evidence by 
the slimy trails left on grass, or more distinctly on 
gravel-walks in the morning. They can frequently be 
detected at night by the aid of a lantern, and from the 
fact that many lie out late in the morning, we have 
the proverb that the early bird catches the worm. A 
very common practice amongst them is to lie on the 
surface of the earth with their tails in their burrows, 
so that on being disturbed or alarmed they beat a 
sudden retreat. An evident reason for leaving 
their burrows would be to find fresh pasture or 
hunting ground. There is no evidence to show that 
they ever find their way back when once they have 
left their old home for any distance. Leaving their 
burrows would also be a quicker means of finding fresh 
supplies of food in the shape of leaves or other decaying 
vegetation. 
Their Senses. 
Of the five senses attributed to man, worms possess 
three, namely, they feel, taste and smell in varving 
degrees. Their power of feeling or their sensitiveness to 
contact or vibration of the ground in which they live is 
the keenest and most exquisite of all their senses, and the 
one that warns them most quickly of approaching danger. 
They possess no eyes, and we must, consequently, 
pronounce them blind ; yet they can perceive between 
night and day, for we have already described them as 
nocturnal in habit. This perception of light has been 
proved by visiting them at night with a light. If the 
light from a candle or paraffin lamp is concentrated by 
means of a lens, and suddenly turned upon them, they 
usually retreat instantaneously, as rabbits scamper off 
to their burrows. If they are kept in soil in a house, 
■ and the room illuminated as soon as sunlight wanes, 
they do not leave their burrows. This sensitiveness to 
light has further been proved to reside in a few of the 
segments at the head of the animal ; for if this part be 
shaded, the rest may be exposed to intense light with¬ 
out producing any effect. This effect of light on the 
head irritates the nerve ganglia situated there, causing 
contraction of the muscles independent of the will of 
the animal, and this serves the purpose of sight. 
If you want to alarm a worm, it is quite useless 
shouting to it, as the beast does not seem to hear in the 
slightest degree. Darwin failed to produce the slight¬ 
est effect by shouting, by the shrillest notes of a tin 
whistle, or the deepest bass ; and the animals remained 
indifferent to the notes of the piano, whether played 
softly or loudly. 
The sense of smell is feeble, but does exist, a 
was proved by burying bits of Onion and Cabbage 
leaves, both much-relished kinds of food. If not too 
deeply covered, they almost invariably discovered these 
dainty morsels after the lapse of a few hours. 
The sense of taste is, perhaps, one of the most 
universal amongst animals, whether their food consists 
of one special substance or a variety of things. "Worms 
exhibit this faculty by showing a decided preference 
for one description of food to another. When a 
mixture of the leaves of Cabbage, Turnip, Horse 
Radish, Onion, Artemisia, Sage, Thyme and Mint were 
submitted to them, the first four were attacked, while 
the latter four were almost or quite untouched. Wild 
Cherry, Celery and Carrot leaves are also dainty kinds 
of food for worms, by a preference for which they 
exhibit their sense of taste. 
Their sensitiveness to contact, to vibration, and all 
such causes as appeal to our sense of touch, is very 
keen, and by their quick response to such disturbing 
causes, they show themselves to be very timid animals. 
If any part of their body is touched, breathed upon, or 
the ground shaken by treading when lying exposed on 
the surface, they retreat instantaneously. They are 
perfectly indifferent to the mere sound of a piano when 
played, but if a pot or other vessel containing them is 
placed on the instrument, and a deeply vibrating note 
struck, they are alarmed immediately and retreat. 
They like heat, provided it is moist, but dislike cold 
and frost, as shown by their hibernating in winter 
during frost at a considerable depth beneath the 
surface. 
Brain Power, Intelligence and Mental Qualities. 
Judging from the behaviour of worms under certain 
conditions, we cannot deny that they possess some 
amount of brain power. When unoccupied they 
readily (as has been shown) respond to any alarming or 
disturbing cause ; but when eating, dragging leaves to 
their burrows, courting, or otherwise occupied, they 
may be compared to some of the higher animals whose 
attention is absorbed in a similar manner, as they 
respond but slowly or not at all to light, vibration or 
actual contact. The very fact of their attention being 
occupied implies brain power or the presence of mind. 
Worms exhibit a considerable amount of intelligence 
in the manner of plugging up their burrows, which will 
be noticed later on. 
With regard to mental qualities, worms have been 
described as timid, but they exhibit capability of 
enjoying a considerable amount of the pleasures of 
animal life. Indeed, in view of their low organisation, 
they are endowed with faculties and mental qualities 
