7 SEPTEMBER 1951, Page 18

Worm - Farming Recently, various official bodies. paid a Visit of inspection

to the 6}-acre holding of Vice-Admiral Vivian at Northmoor (Oxon.). The peculiarity . of its husbandry is not its four-year rotation of, crops, nor even that it is run entirely /on compost. It is that the land is neither dug nor ploughed, and is cultivated only to a depth .of three inches, the principal farm-workers being multitudes of earthwornis bred in the " wormery." Broad beans and Russian _.comfrey are also grown exclusively for composting. The report says that disease is absent ; pests are fully controlled by predators. Admiral Vivian dis- played a superfine sample of market produce at the 'Royal Show. last year. I have not seen his holding; but I have seen one on the Chilterns run on the same principles, and was astounded at the health and vigour of the crops.