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Formation of Mould

The sinking of cinders with burnt marl argument for non mechanical action of sinking.—

Action of rain & snow quite curious in the parks how it spread the innumerable worm-castings over the surface.— 5/17 (3.4 8/20

My Lindsay Carnegie says Scotch farmers all well aware of tendency of lime to sink & hence were afraid of putting it on ploughed land, until just before laying it down for pasture, but Mr L. one autumn acted on contrary principle, ploughed it in sometime before, so that it remained during all the time of fallow with decayed vegetable matter & the plan had great success.

In clearing any earth above stone quarries Mr L. has seen worms 7 or 8 feet beneath surface. When black mould was 2 feet thick & [illeg] strong clay in latter proceeded by stages, not straight, but with chambers

¹ William Fullerton Lindsay-Carnegie (1788-1860), Scottish industrialist. Darwin, C. R. 1840. On the formation of mould. [Read 1 November 1837.] Transactions of the Geological Society 2d ser. 5 (2): 505-509, p. 508 n: "* Mr. W. Lindsay Carnagie of Kimblethment, writing from Scotland to Mr. Lyell on the subject of this paper, as it is given in the Proceedings, states, that in clearing away a stiff clayey soil above a stone quarry, he has seen worms in small chambered passages between seven and eight feet below the surface. The black mould on the clay was there two feet thick. Mr. Carnagie observes, also, in his letter, that the Scotch farmers, from a belief that the lime itself has some tendency to sink, are afraid of putting it on ploughed land until just before it is laid down for pasture. He then adds, "Some years since, in autumn, I laid lime on an oat-stubble and ploughed it down; thus bringing it into immediate contact with the dead vegetable matter, and securing its thorough mixture through the means of all subsequent operations of fallow; I was considered, in consequence of the above prejudice, to have committed a great fault, but the result was eminently successful, and the practice partially followed. By means of Mr. Darwin's observations, I think the prejudice will be entirely removed."—June 1838."

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containing little pebbles & seeds &c

Aug. Sept 1841. a heap of pure white sand being laid on garden in Upper Gower St when worms abound, though scarcely any vegetation.— the worms bored up through 15 inches, but did not case up pellet of earth but they sucked in leaves wh must have been their object or for fresh air or for escape