July 23, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
745 
deep under a greenhouse wall, where they will not get 
disturbed ; and the smaller bulbs and terrestrial Orchids 
would probably succeed well outdoors in summer, in 
thin pots plunged in cocoa-nut fibre or sphagnum in a 
shady situation, from whence they should be removed 
to the kind of frame I have mentioned, on the approach 
of bad weather. Properly managed, the frame would 
accommodate them all the year .—James Hall, Port 
Elizabeth, South Africa. 
-- 
EL2EODENDRON ORIENTALS 
(Aralia Chabrieri of Gardens). 
Some of our readers who are not classical scholars 
may object to the long unpronounceable name here 
given ; but no one can be opposed to the plant itself, 
for it is one of the handsomest of decorative subjects, 
and responds readily to stove treatment and the horti¬ 
culturist’s skill; or, in other words, it is easily grown, 
oval, oblong, or obovate, sometimes alternate, and 
altogether different from what we see in gardens, being 
by no means ornamental. For our illustration, which 
gives a true idea of the habit and graceful appearance 
of the plant, we are indebted to Mr. B. S. Williams, 
Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, Upper Holloway. 
-->X<-- 
WORMS AND THEIR WORK.— IV. 
The beneficial effects of worms would be more 
apparent on an undisturbed piece of ground, such as a 
lawn or a flower-garden, than in the kitchen-garden, 
which is periodically dug or otherwise disturbed. Even 
here, however, owing to the necessity of keeping the 
lawn tidy, the good work of worms is ignored, and 
their work made to appear as of no account. Suppose, 
however, for the time being you allow them full scope 
and a free run of the lawn ; if the latter is moderately 
rich and moist the soil will be permeated with their 
brought to the surface, where they germinate and 
puzzle the learned as to the longevity of seeds, and 
their supposed age since buried. Worms, also, some¬ 
times line the bottom of their burrows with seeds or 
little stones. 
Harm Done by Worms. 
Considering their universal distribution, and that no 
garden exists without a good share of worms, the harm 
done by them is comparatively of a trifling nature. In 
dealing with the whole subject of worms, we fail to 
find that they do any direct harm to plants, either in 
the excavation of their burrows, or in their habits, or 
the collecting of their food. It is true they live partly 
on leaves and other parts of plants, including stems, 
petioles, seeds and spores : but this happens after these 
things have been brought to the ground by natural 
means and causes. The nature of their mouths and 
their subterranean habits preclude the idea of their 
doing much harm by attacking living vegetation. 
and can be kept clean and fresh without any trouble, 
owing to the leathery texture of its leaves. Although 
not an Aralia, it may be grown successfully with the 
same treatment, and in a compost of the same nature—> 
that is, sandy loam and peat of a fibrous texture, which 
may, if necessary, be enriched with a little leaf-soil 
that is not too decayed or finely powdered. Stove- 
heat is necessary, as the plant is a native of Mada¬ 
gascar, Mauritius, and Rodriguez, where, in some cases, 
it constitutes a great part of the forest vegetation. 
That grown in gardens is a juvenile state of the plant, 
which ultimately becomes a tree, having a very different 
appearance than when in the seedling state. As grown 
in gardens, from an erect stem it sends out short side 
branches, having very much the appearance of leaves. 
The true leaves are opposite, long, linear, slender, deep 
green, and rendered exceedingly attractive by a crimson 
midrib. They also assume a graceful drooping habit, 
which renders the plant a great favourite in gardens as 
a table decorative subject. When it reaches the tree 
state, the leaves become shorter, broader, and coarser, 
burrows, constituting a natural drainage for surface- 
water and offering a free passage for air, which is 
necessary at all times for the respiration of roots, for 
aerating the soil and raising its temperature. Roots 
find an easy passage downwards, and the more tender ones 
find a suitable medium in which to ramify in the 
linings of the burrows themselves and the moisture 
retained by them. 
The deposit of castings enriches the surface-soil 
immensely, and forms a natural top-dressing to the 
grass. All heights and inequalities of the ground 
would he gradually levelled down ; stones and every¬ 
thing solid, of too great a size to pass through the 
intestines of worms, would be buried in no great length 
of time, and the surface-soil would consist of a layer 
similar to what the gardener prepares by sifting for 
fine seeds. The latter are, undoubtedly, buried by 
castings, and brought under the best possible conditions 
for germinating. Seeds are also sometimes washed 
down the burrows of worms to a considerable depth, 
and fail to germinate till accidentally or otherwise 
Worm castings are only an eyesore to the desire for 
tidiness where lawns have to be clean shaven and 
swept. The scythe and mowing machine, perhaps, 
suffer from these castings, and the garden hoy who 
sweeps them up, denounces the vile castings, and their 
humble though diligent and silent makers. A more 
advisable plan would be to roll down the castings 
rather than sweep them up. 
More real damage is done to plants grown in pots in 
hothouses than in the open air. This is effected in¬ 
directly by the worms depositing their castings in the 
drainage, and preventing the escape of water. Another 
evil arises where worms by some means or other get 
into pots containing finely sifted soil, in which small 
seeds or spores are sown. This latter case is, perhaps, 
the most annoying of all, and the worms may be induced 
to leave the pot by tapping it, or by applying lime- 
water. Where the pot is filled with roots, the whole 
ball of soil may be turned out of the pot and examined. 
Worms generally lie in the drainage or against the sides 
of the pot, and may be easily caught by the expert. 
