Earth wire

( Elec.) A wire for making electrical connection with the earth; especially for conveying leakage from a telegraph line. Earth'worms. ( Geol .) It is our purpose to speak here of the geological importance of these humble animals. This was long ago appreciated by Jenner and Gilbert White, but was very fully realized after the careful observations of Darwin. White, in 1777, wrote: "Worms seem to be the great promoters of vegetation, which would proceed but lamely without them, by Fig . 2858.-сOMMON EARTHWORM. a.-Young worm emerging from the cocoon. boring, perforating, and loosening the soil, and render- ing it pervious to rains and the fibres of plants, by drawing straws and sticks of all kinds into it; and, most of all, by throwing up such infinite numbers of lumps of earth. Worms probably provide new soils for hills and slopes where the rain washes the earth away. The earth without worms would soon become cold, hard-bound, and void of fermentation; and consequently sterile." Darwin says, in the same vein: "It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as have these lowly-organized creatures." Darwin's observations, some of which lasted for thirty years, and which were made with the most patient perseverance, fully substantiate the quotations above given. Worms burrow into the soil and open innumerable channels for the raindrops and the roots of plants; they bruise the particles of soil in their gizzards, extract the nutriment, and cast out the mineral elements; their castings continually cover the surface with soil-substance brought up from below; they act the part of plows, turning the earth up and over and over again; the soil of the far past was largely due to them, and their labors still continue unceasingly. Vegetable soil, no doubt, accumulates in some localities without much EAST aid from worms. Richt hoven has shown that the con. stant rain of dust has its value in making new soil, but with all this, in many localities, at least, earthworms play a highly nece ary part as soil makers. In considering this, we must take into account the vast numbers of these animals. Darwin estimated that an acre of garden soil contains, on an average, 53,000 of them, and that ten tons of soil per acre pa annually through their bodies. They are steadily engaged in bringing up mould from the under soil to the surface, and add to the surface soil at the rate of an inch in thickne in five years: This labor is of the utmost value to agriculture, renewing the valuable mineral constituents of the surface soil as they are exhausted by plant growth and carried down by the rains. Darwin found also that the worms were surface scavengers, leaving their holes at night to explore the surface, and drawing down with them innumerable bits of scattered material to enrich the soil. His observations showed also that the archæologist owes a debt of thankfulne to the worm, which has buried and preserved many an interesting piece of antique material, such as Roman pavements and other relics of the past. See Darwin's work, The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms. Ear'wise, adv. By way of the ear.-After the manner of an ear of corn.