The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms: With Observations on Their HabitsDarwin, Charles
Science
The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms: With Observations on Their Habits
Darwin, Charles
Earthworms; Humification; Soils
The result was different when cabbage-leaves and pieces of onion were
employed, both of which are devoured with much relish by worms. Small
square pieces of fresh and half-decayed cabbage-leaves and of onion bulbs
were on nine occasions buried in my pots, beneath about ¼ of an inch of
common garden soil; and they were always discovered by the worms. One
bit of cabbage was discovered and removed in the course of two hours;
three were removed by the next morning, that is, after a single night;
two others after two nights; and the seventh bit after three nights. Two
pieces of onion were discovered and removed after three nights. Bits of
fresh raw meat, of which worms are very fond, were buried, and were not
discovered within forty-eight hours, during which time they had not
become putrid. The earth above the various buried objects was generally
pressed down only slightly, so as not to prevent the emission of any
odour. On two occasions, however, the surface was well watered, and was
thus rendered somewhat compact. After the bits of cabbage and onion had
been removed, I looked beneath them to see whether the worms had
accidentally come up from below, but there was no sign of a burrow; and
twice the buried objects were laid on pieces of tin-foil which were not
in the least displaced. It is of course possible that the worms whilst
moving about on the surface of the ground, with their tails affixed
within their burrows, may have poked their heads into the places where
the above objects were buried; but I have never seen worms acting in this
manner. Some pieces of cabbage-leaf and of onion were twice buried
beneath very fine ferruginous sand, which was slightly pressed down and
well watered, so as to be rendered very compact, and these pieces were
never discovered. On a third occasion the same kind of sand was neither
pressed down nor watered, and the pieces of cabbage were discovered and
removed after the second night. These several facts indicate that worms
possess some power of smell; and that they discover by this means
odoriferous and much-coveted kinds of food.
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