Jack Sprout - Stories

The Adventures of Jack Sprout
Chapter 6 - JACK SPROUT MEETS EARLY WORM

Hi I'm Jack Sprout, the sunflower seed who grew up to be a farmer.

Barley and Iris Miller's Flour Mill was a very interesting place. It's a good place to eat delicious baked goods, but not a good place to go swimming. I almost got bonked on the head by their huge paddle wheel that day, remember? I won't swim there again! Barley said he'd have all the best and freshest seeds for me when it was time for planting on my farm. I was getting a little closer to being a farmer.

Before I could begin farming, I'd need to take a good look at the soil. Uncle Dale said it was excellent soil and it did have healthy looking tall prairie grass, some vetch and clover growing on it. I wanted to make sure it was good for sprouts, vegetables and maybe flowers or other crops before I started planting. It'd be too late to worry about the soil once I'd planted all my seeds. I dug up some of the dark, rich, moist soil with my hands and took a good long look. It felt good, smelled like soil, had little critters crawling around and was really black. It looked like good soil but what did I know? I'd never been a farmer before.

Then I remembered that Uncle Dale had mentioned Early Worm who could tell me all about soil and how to make it better. He said Early's farm was north of the creek up by the head waters of the Beaver Creek Creek. That was a long walk so I started early one morning just as the sun was coming up over the Redwoods in the Northeast Forest. I walked up Old Pal Road and remembered the first time I walked down it to find my farmland that Farmer Smith had saved for me. I'd already learned a lot about building a farm and hadn't even planted any seeds yet.

I came to Farmer Smith's place and saw him out working in his sunflower fields. I waved and he waved back but didn't stop working, he was busy and it was already starting to get hot in the fields. Fond memories came to me of my early days growing up with my friends. We were scared when we first popped our heads above the ground and that sun was really hot. We became healthy young sprouts and played all the time after that. My favorite games were hide and seek and flick the shell off our seeds. I never looked like my other friends but they didn't mind. Turns out I have a special reason to be alive and a big important job to do in The Beaver Creek Meadow. I'm going to be a farmer!

It was fun remembering my past. My fond memories made me want to stay, but I had to keep moving.

I came to Grandma Elderberry's house and walked up her orchard lane to see what she was up to. There she was on the big ol' limb of her giant Oak tree watching over her nut orchard. She waved and asked if I wanted something to eat. How did she know I was hungry? We had a piece of blueberry pie and some nuts from her orchard. “Remember the first time you came to my door,” she laughed. I was embarrassed because the first time I met Grandma Ermal Elderberry, I'd just left Farmer Smith's sunflower field and didn't have any clothes on!

“Yes I do,” I said, “and I'm still wearing the clothes you made for me.”

“I see, and they still look good. Well Jack Sprout, how's the farming coming along?” she asked.

“I haven't even planted any seeds yet,” I answered. “I didn't know there was so much to do before I could get started. This is all new to me.”

“Don't worry, anybody that grew from a sunflower seed into a farmer like you did, will know what to do. Where are you going so early in the morning?” she asked.

“I'm headed to Early Worm's farm like Uncle Dale told me.”

“Oh that's right, you have to have your soil checked by Early, he's our soil expert around here. You'd better get going, he works early in the day. He's the early worm you know.” We both laughed, Grandma Elderberry was funny. She always made you see the good side of things. I said goodbye, went down her orchard lane and back up Old Pal Road.

It was still quite a ways to Early's farm. I'd never been there before and hoped that there would be signs. Farther up the road was the lane leading to Dr. Ann Wheatfield's tree house in the West Woods. She's an old white owl who teaches healing and eating right. I know she'll come to my farm when it's built. Then there was a sign pointing to the old mountain goat, High Mountain Harry's cave. The road was rough and rugged and only good for a goat anyway.

Finally there was the sign I'd been looking for, 'Early Worm- Soil Builder!' I walked down the lane and saw a couple of buildings, a wagon, some shovels, buckets, a pile of leaves, a pile of soil and piles of other stuff, some that didn't smell very good. I didn't see anyone working though. Grandma Elderberry said Early worked early in the morning, but it sure didn't look like it to me. Maybe they took the day off and went fishing. I shouted, “Hey Early Worm, hey Early Worm, anybody here?” No answer, so I yelled as loud as I could. “Helloooo! Where is everybody?” Still no answer. Well, I'd gotten up very early and had walked a long way. I was going to get some soil one way or the other. I'd just fill up the wagon and be down the road. I'd have my talk with Early Worm some other day.

I went over by the wagon and grabbed the shovel. That turned out to be a bad idea. A very bad, bad idea! I dug a shovel full of rich moist soil and threw it in the wagon. This soil was great, even better than my farmland. I dug another shovel full and heard the loudest most terrifying scream I've ever heard! The sound scared me so much that I stumbled back, dropped the shovel and fell down. I looked up and over by the hole I was digging was a big bulky worm and he was mad! I mean really, really mad! I looked around and there were hundreds, maybe thousands of worms poking their heads up above the ground staring right at me. I was still frightened but at least they weren't chasing me. I took the shovel, went back to the big bulky worm and said, “why are you yelling at me, you scared me!”

“Why am I yelling at you? Why am I yelling!” screamed the worm. “You almost cut me in half with that shovel, that's why I'm yelling! What do you think you're doing anyway?”

“Oh no, I'm very sorry,” I said. “I've never been to a worm farm before. I'd never ever try to hurt anyone on purpose.”

“What's your name Mr. Worm, I'm Jack Spr.....”

“I know who you are!” shouted the worm, “you're the new farmer in The Beaver Creek Meadow. I'm Early Worm. Now put down that shovel, you're dangerous.”

Early was still mad but not as much as before.

“What do you want anyway?” he asked.

“Grandma Elderberry and Uncle Dale told me to come here to learn about soil and how it's made.”

“Well if you don't know anything about soil, you're not going to be a very good farmer,” said Early. “Go over by that shade tree and wait. I'll be over as soon as I can get everyone calmed down and back to work.”

Early got his workers calmed down, crawled over to the shade tree and sat on a twig. “I can't stay up here very long,” he said, “it's too hot. We're only above ground at night or if it rains too much and our tunnels get flooded. I'm going to talk very fast. Are you a fast listener, Jack Sprout?”

“Just look at these ears,” I said.

“Ya I see em'. Okay here it goes. Soil is alive like you and me, it needs fresh air, food and water just like we do. My workers and I crawl around under ground to make tunnels so fresh air and rain water can get in. We eat dead roots, sticks, leaves, old soil, food bits stuff like that. We digest it in our stomachs then cast out what's left. It's called worm castings and makes a great fertilizer, which is food for the soil. We'll come to your farm, make some tunnels and leave our worm castings when you're ready for us. That's it, goodbye, see you later. Early wiggled back to his hole and disappeared.

I ran over to the hole and yelled down. “Hey that's it? What do you mean soil's alive, how big are the tunnels, where do you get all the stuff to eat?”

“What'd you say?” shouted Early from down in his hole, “I can't hear you!”

I reached for a hollow piece of straw, stuck it in the hole and yelled again.

“Okay, I can hear you now,” he said. “I've never talked through a straw before. You're kind of different Jack Sprout.”

“Yeah, I sprouted and grew up different. I have to know all this stuff though because The Beaver Creek Meadow is depending on me to be their new farmer.”

“Just look down in this hole,” said Early.

I looked down through the straw and saw lots of tunnels going in every direction. I saw all the stuff Early talked about eating and even the fertilizer from their worm castings.

“Who are those other guys?” I asked.

“Oh there's beetles, soldier bugs, nematodes and other critters down here. Sometimes they bring us food but mostly they just use our tunnels. They don't help build them though, I'm not sure what they're good for. We all get along, they're good bugs. This is what your farm will look like when we're done.

“What are these piles up here for?” I asked.

“We jump in them and eat it all up and leave our worm castings. It turns into the best soil there is in about three months. Everyone from miles around brings us food scraps, leaves, brush and all kinds of stuff to eat. It helps keep The Beaver Creek Meadow clean and makes new soil so everyone is happy. When it's ready, farmers take it for their greenhouses. Anyone who wants good soil for vegetables, flowers or anything that needs planting can have it. Well that's about it Jack Sprout, I have to get back to work. Come back after you've built your farm. Oh and when you come back, take the shovel and pound it on the ground real hard three times. Someone will come up to greet you and no one will get hurt.”

“I promise. Hey, how will you get to my farm?” I asked.

“We'll leave here at night and tunnel underground until we get to the Beaver Creek Creek Bridge. Then Whoopee and Stretch will drop buckets of water on the bridge so we don't get splinters or dry out on the planks crossing the bridge. Those Longneck Shoremen don't mind the overtime. We only go out at night when it's cool. That's why they call us, the night crawlers.”

“Alright, it's a deal,” I said. “I'll be back after I've made the plans, built my farm and am ready for planting.

“Okay,” said Early. “I can't help you build your house, but I'll build your soil for you.”

I yelled goodbye through the straw and told Early Worm it was nice meeting him.

“Same here,” yelled Early, as he dug down deeper and deeper into the rich moist soil.

On my way home I realized that there are a lot of experts here in The Beaver Creek Meadow. I'd asked everyone I'd met to help with building my house and greenhouse. Pierre LeTru will draw the plans and he'll know which direction to place the house. All the other friends I'd met said they'd help also. Friends like Grandma Elderberry, Farmer Smith, Fred Beaver, Sawdust Miller, Barley & Iris Miller and Aunt Gerry and Uncle Dale. And of course, we'll need Whoopee, Stretch and the other Longneck Shoremen for the heavy lifting. I hope that Redtail McAllister will come by too. I haven't met him yet but I've heard a lot about him from Sawdust Miller and Fred Beaver. He's always soaring high above The Beaver Creek Meadow keeping an eye out to keep us safe.

Well, that's how I met Early Worm. Early and his workers are one of the reasons why our high mountain meadow is so lush and green. The next time I see you we'll be building, so bring your ideas.