OUR FRIEND THE EARTHWORM

DAHLIA GROWN USING VERMICOMPOST

Last year I became interested in vermicomposting, which simply means the technique of using earthworms to convert various wastes to useful compost (called vermicompost when worms are used) which can be used as a fertilizer. Since I was quite new to this field, I thought I should first talk to some 'experts' in the field. I found, however, that there were as many opinions as there were experts. So my colleagues and I decided to strike out on our own. We started out by using various solid wastes of the paper industry (that is where I work). The worms seemed to like whatever we gave them and they produced what turned out to be very good fertilizer. The picture of the Dahlia above speaks for itself. Other flowers grown with good results were Marigold, Aster and Flox. We have found that this vermicompost seems to accelerate budding and flowering in these plants whereas conventional fertilizers like urea produce more vegetative growth but the flowering is comparatively late.

We are now making plans to expand our working to produce more vermicompost from waste. The lowly earthworm has turned out to be nature's fertilizer factory. The compost produced can be sold should we wish to go commercial. We are happy to have produced a value added product from waste materials.

MISCELLANY

BOSTON, USA

Not many are aware that there are 16 towns called ‘Boston’ in the United States. For the uninitiated, these are located in the states of New York, Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, Montana, Missouri, Louisiana, Kentucky, Connecticut, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Oh! I almost forgot. There’s one in Massachusetts as well.

Also, there is a Boston in England, perhaps the granddaddy of all the Bostons in the USA.

RAIL TRAVEL IN INDIA - 50 YEARS AGO

The younger generation in India today may not be aware that, at the time of independence, there were four classes of travel in the Indian railway system. These were First, Second, Inter and Third. There was a strict caste system in place, the lower class passengers being made to use different entrances and exits from the upper class ones.

The Indian Railways decided to provide sleeping berths to third class passengers for the first time in September, 1954. Before taking this decision, the Government sent a three-man delegation on a two-month study tour of European railway systems. Based on their recommendations, sleepers were first introduced on long distance trains.

Another decision taken by the railways at about the same time was the abolition of separate entrances and exits at railway stations for third and upper class passengers.