FARM NOTES
BUSY EARTHWORMS DISLIKE WET PASTURES The humble earthworm is not a lover of water-logged conditions in the soil, and adequate drainage of heavy lands tends to encourage its activities. These organisms pass-large quantities of soil through their bodies in the process of absorbing organic food, and they contribute in no small measure to improvement in the structure of the soil and the readiness with which it is permeated by water, says a Massey College bulletin.
Under habitually wet conditions the worm population is comparatively small; and undesirable species of plants such as rushes, sedges, buttercup, pennyroyal, docks and glyceria tend to become dominant. These plants thrive better, or are able to tolerate excess water in the soil to a greater extent than the more useful plants. By restricting the growth of better species, excess water also restricts the effects to be obtained from the application of lime and fertilisers, and consequently renders the use of these less profitable. Wet conditions contribute to the prevalence of stock ailments such as footrot, chills, udder trouble and internal parasites.
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Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 44, 23 June 1947, Page 7
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178FARM NOTES Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 44, 23 June 1947, Page 7
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