July 16, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
781 
leaves, however, have a soft, leathery texture, and are 
downy underneath ; whereas those on the ordinary 
form are membraneous and almost smooth. The former 
have also a somewhat hoary appearance ; but their 
most striking characteristic is that all the leaves on 
certain branches are only half the size of the others, 
although both kinds are borne on boughs common to 
both. Flowers were produced freely in both cases, but 
only those on branches bearing large leaves have set 
any fruit. This dimorphism does not seem to arisfe 
from want of vigour, and it would be interesting to 
note whether the peculiarity is repeated next year. 
Holmskioldia sanguinea. —Such is the name 
of an Indian plant introduced as early as 1796, yet 
does not receive the attention its near ally, Clero- 
dendron Thomson*, enjoys in almost every British 
garden of any note. It is synonymous with Hastingia 
augusta ; but neither of them are very familiar names 
to the English-speaking populace, especially the 
accepted one. Three species only are known to science, 
H. sanguinea being the best, hailing from the interior 
of Bengal, the Himalayas, and, probably, other parts of 
India. The broad, shallow, bell-shaped calyx is of a 
deep red or crimson colour, and would thus form a fine 
contrast to the Clerodendron already mentioned. The 
elongated tubular corolla is crimson, and, of course, 
similar to that of the Clerodendron named. In our 
northern climate it, of course, requires the protection 
of a stove ; but in the New World it finds a temper¬ 
ature to its liking, and also flourishes in South 
America, from whence Mr. R. Ward, Botanic Gardens, 
Demerara, sends us dried specimens furnished with an 
abundance of flowers in axillary cymes. The calyx is 
particularly conspicuous, and very striking from its 
peculiar shape—at least, in a dried state. 
Ataccia cristata. —The old name is still re¬ 
tained by the gardening community who are very 
conservative 'with regard to nomenclature, and strictly 
adhere to that by which they first knew the plant. 
Botanically, Tacca cristata is the accepted name ; but 
whatever it is known by, it remains a most curious, 
interesting and even ornamental plant for the stove. 
The leaves somewhat resemble a huge Plantain, from 
amongst which the flower-scapes arise to the height of 
18 ins. to 24 ins., bearing a lateral or one-sided droop¬ 
ing umbel of purplish brown flowers. It derives its 
specific name from the upper two large, erect, purple, 
involucral bracts, reminding one of a crest, like the 
feathers of a Red Indian. Numerous long slender 
bracts also depend from the inflorescence, giving the 
whole a curious tassel-like appearance. It flowered 
grandly a short time ago in the nurseries of Messrs. 
J. Yeitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
Gloxinia, Comet. —The somewhat older variety 
known as Flambeau is a fine thing, and has found its 
way into several gardens ; but that under notice, a 
selected seedling from it, far surpasses it in merit and 
general excellence. The flower is nearly regular, and 
stands erect, showing off its white or pinkish tube 
in conspicuous contrast to the rich scarlet lamina. 
Towards the throat this scarlet passes into a rich 
crimson. In these days, when an immense variety of 
flowers can be got by sowing a pinch 0 f seed, few 
trouble about preserving and propagating old plants ; 
but exceptionally fine varieties like the present are 
certainly worth the trouble. It is one of Messrs. 
J. Yeitch & Sons’ raising at Chelsea, and may be seen 
there. 
Antirrhinums, Marigolds. —It is gratifying 
to know that these old-fashioned flowers, especially 
the former, still receive a fair share of attention by 
some cultivators. A boxful of cut spikes just to hand 
from Mr. John Jardine, Portland Gardens, Kilmarnock, 
N.B., shows some fine stripes in both of the above 
classes of plants. The ground colour in the Antir¬ 
rhinums varies through shades of white, yellow, and 
orange, variously marked, mottled, or sometimes 
heavily striped with rose or purple. The upper part 
of the flower, and especially the palate, varies with 
shades of a much darker tint, determining the value 
of these striped forms. A pinch of seed of a good strain 
gives endless variation, but first-class selected varieties 
are best preserved by propagating from cuttings. The 
blooms sent are of great size, and were taken from 
plants so propagated and preserved. The sender has 
taken over 100 first prizes for them during the last 
three years. The strain of Marigolds, judging from 
the flowers sent, is excellent, the flower heads being 
very double, golden yellow, with distinct and well- 
marked velvety crimson margins, and, of course, 
belong to the Tagetes erecta, or French type. 
Annual Chrysanthemums. —We have grown 
rather largely most of the different varieties of Chry¬ 
santhemum carinatum (or tricolor), and notwithstand¬ 
ing the dry season when they have been kept well 
watered, they have done well. We find them 
invaluable for cut flower work, as they present such a 
diversity of colour in themselves alone ; a vase of the 
different varieties, well arranged, produces a pretty 
effect. They are also remarkably showy in beds or 
borders, and they delight in a cool moist half-shady 
situation with a light rich soil, and under such cir¬ 
cumstances some of the varieties (Burridgeanum for 
instance) will produce flowers between 2 ins. and 3 ins. 
in diameter, lasting a long time in flower .—Alfred 
Gaut, The Gardens, Copped Hall, Totleridge. 
-- 
WORMS AND THEIR WORK.-III. 
Food. —Worms are not very dainty in the selection of 
food, but swallow almost anything. They devour 
decaying leaves of almost any kind, except those that 
are too tough for their toothless mouths, or are un¬ 
palatable for their taste. Leaf-stalks, flower-stalks, 
and decaying flowers themselves are relished, as well as 
sugar, starch, raw and wasted meat, and raw fat. The 
latter is easily devoured in large quantities, and fresh is 
preferred to putrid meat. They are cannibals, and will 
devour dead animals of their own kind—a new species 
of worm recently discovered at Kew, namely, Bipalium 
Kewense, has no objection to living specimens of his 
congener, the common earth-worm, so that the latter 
has, at least, subterranean enemies to fear, including 
the larva already mentioned, and the mole. Spores, 
ova, larv®, small animals and small seeds must also be 
swallowed in large quantities under certain conditions ; 
as when the worms swallow decaying leaves and mould 
containing such. Immense quantities of earth are 
swallowed under certain conditions or at certain seasons, 
as is evidenced by the numerous castings thrown up 
by worms. When leaves are dragged in great numbers 
into their burrows, they subsist on these, and few 
castings are thrown up ; while, on the other hand, 
when no leaves are to be had, they subsist on the 
black surface-soil, consisting of vegetable humus. 
When the land is poor, castings are thrown up in much 
greater quantity, and there is every reason to believe 
that, in order to get a sufficient amount of nourish¬ 
ment for subsistence, worms are obliged to swallow a 
much greater amount of soil from which to derive such 
sustenance. 
Doubtless many have observed, especially in moist 
autumn weather, numerous tufts of leaves stuck in the 
ground, as if some one had been amusing himself 
planting dead leaves, petioles and similar things. 
These have been collected by the worms themselves, 
and drawn into their burrows to stop them up, or serve 
more often as food when they become partly decayed. 
The manner in which the leaves have been collected, 
folded and drawn in worm burrows, shows a consider¬ 
able amount of that intelligence to which we have pre¬ 
viously alluded, and which has furnished Darwin with a 
considerable amount of study and experiment. From 
the fact of the leaves being drawn in, generally in the 
most advantageous manner, we cannot consider the 
doing of it mere chance work, but must attribute to 
worms their due share of animal intelligence. 
Excavating their Burrows. 
Burrows serve worms as a means of protection from 
extremes of heat and cold, drought, and above all as a 
stronghold of safety to which they may retreat and live 
secure from the numerous enemies that prey upon 
them in vast numbers. They possess two methods of 
excavating them — namely, by inserting the thin 
anterior end of their body between the interstices of 
loose soil, and pushing the latter on each side ; or, 
secondly, by swallowing the soil bodily and ejecting it 
behind them on the surface. We have already observed 
that worms swallow soil in order to extract organic 
matter from it. Some doubts have been expressed 
whether worms ever swallow soil for the mere purpose 
of excavating their burrows ; but Darwin has furnished 
conclusive proof of it in the case of a body of barren 
sand, 23 ins. deep, that had been pierced by worms 
and appeared in their castings ; secondly, in the case 
of castings consisting almost of pure chalk; and, 
thirdly, in a layer of decayed concrete and mortar that 
had been penetrated by worms. 
From the fact of its being rich in humus, the upper 
layer of soil is that most frequented by worms ; but 
we read of cases where they occasionally penetrate to 
the depth of from 3 ft. to 8 ft. The dark tint of the 
surface-layer of soil is due to the presence of decaying 
vegetable matter or humus, and this is constantly 
being augmented by worms. The superficial layer of 
mould is calculated to pass bodily through the intestines 
of worms every few years. As the soil becomes riddled 
with their burrows, it gradually collapses, and so may 
be considered as in a continual state of turmoil, passing 
through the grinding apparatus of worms, being cast 
on the surface, and again buried under fresh material. 
Worm-castings collected on a square yard during 367 
days, by a lady who assisted Darwin in this work, were 
calculated to weigh, when dry, 16.1 tons per acre; 
while that collected by Darwin in a field overlying 
chalk was calculated at 18.12 tons per acre. Other 
cases showed a much smaller amount, according to the 
kind of soil and the number of worms living in it, so 
that it will be a fair average to calculate that over 10 
tons of earth annually pass through the bodies of worms 
on an acre of land in Britain. There are, at least, 
32,000,000 acres of land capable of supporting worms 
in Britain, and this multiplied by 10 gives 320,000,000 
tons of earth annually passed through the bodies of 
worms and deposited on the surface. In 1,000,000 
years this weight would amount to 320,000,000,000,000 
tons ! 
Worms in the Garden. 
We have already said that worms are generally 
looked upon with a kind of loathing or disgust, and 
their presence in the garden is generally regarded as 
detrimental rather than beneficial to horticulture and 
its interests. The presence of worms is an indication 
of a rich soil, and the richer it is the greater the number 
of worms that can subsist there. By counting their 
number within a given area in a garden, Hensen has 
calculated that 53,767 exist in an acre of land. They, 
however, vary in number to an extraordinary extent in 
different soils, and half the above may be taken as a 
fair average on land under tillage by farm machinery. 
It is a frequent remark, especially in the case of Potato 
culture, that nothing will grow on account of the 
enormous number of worms in the soil. Land of this 
nature may, and does, produce an exuberance of haulm 
without a proportionate number of tubers ; but that is 
merely the result of too much decaying organic matter 
in the soil, and worms, instead of being harmful, are 
really of the greatest service in reducing this organic 
matter to a condition fit for the support and production 
of fresh vegetable life. The number or quantity of 
castings in this particular case would be no measure or 
guide to the number of worms, because, as we have 
already seen, the greatest quantity of soil is swallowed 
and ejected by them in that of a poor nature ; but if 
we compute that even in this case ten tons of earth 
per acre annually pass through their bodies, we have 
the land ameliorated and enriched with that amount of 
earth rendered more soluble and suitable for the support 
of plant life. The whole is subjected to a crushing, 
rubbing, or grinding process in the gizzard of the worm, 
and then to the digestive influence of the intestinal 
secretions. The mere grinding of the food has the 
effect of bringing a greater amount of surface in contact 
with the pancreatic juices, and also with air, rain, and 
frost after being deposited on the surface. The small 
stones are triturated and rounded at each successive 
swallowing by the worm, so that they gradually become 
reduced to a condition of solubility fit for the support 
of plant life. No matter how much plant food may 
exist in a soil, it is useless unless in a readily soluble 
state. Soil that has passed through the gizzards of 
worms contains three times as much soluble and useable 
nitrogen as it did previously. This is a matter of no 
small importance, as nitrogen in this condition is one 
of the most useful fertilisers in either agricultural or 
horticultural economy. They also ameliorate sandy 
and other soil injurious to vegetation from the amount 
of oxide of iron with which the particles are coated. 
Acetic, hydrochloric, nitric, and sulphuric acids have 
less effect in dissolving oxide of iron adhering to grains 
of sand than the humus acids generated in the in¬ 
testines of worms.— J. F. 
