The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-04-26

erchief. coat, waistc0at, trousers and even
shoes: six hundred and seventy rats were
inundated for this purpose, and the six
hundred and seventy beautifully organ
lied tails wers strun1 together to form 9
tiun6f 4,
K 4 il paris--{kst home Of he utiliza-
ton Of everything that the rat is turned
10 the greatest number of uses. he fur
nishes employment for an army of hum
te-s. who pursue him in his sewer fast
nesses fbr the sake Of his skin. In the
great abattoirs OF the city rats exist by the
million. One proprietor, on being nearly
driven from his premises by the rodents,
threw dead horse in walled inclosure,
and then stopped up all means OF escape,
so that the rats attracted by the bait
could not get out In enc night 2, $50 rats
were caught in the trap and killed by
men armed with clubs; in single month
16 $50 of the animals were thus destroyed.
We note this case mainly in col nection
with curious utilization OF rats, wherein
dead animals of all kinds are placed
where they can get them as an easy way
of disposing of the refuse flesh and secur-
ing the valuable bones. A regular pound,
surrounded by q massive stone wall, is
provided for this purpose by the city au-
thorities of Paris, and it is the regular
mornings work Of those in charge to re-
move the beautifully polished skeletons.
OF course, when thus pampered, the
rats multiply amazingly, and therefore
once in while grand battue Is necessary
to reduce their numbers. The way in
which this is conducted is curious. Hori-
zontal holes are bored all around, in and
at the foot of the inclOsing walls, the
1nn<I, Atovr.ofoR hoinn poonnnfiuQIV
the length and thickness of rats body.
Upon the morning of the battue, men
armed with tin pans, kettles, drums and
other objects for producing horrible
noises, rush in at daybreak. The aston
ished rats precipitately rush for the near
est openings. which are those in the walls.
But these, while large enough to contain
their bodies, will not accommodate their
tails, and the walls are soon ornamented
with vista of those anatomically superb
members. whisking about like animated
icicles. Then arrives the rat collector
scientist in his way-who, with admirable
dexterity, seizes the pendent tails, jerks
forth the owner attached thereto, and de-
posts him in a bag worn over the left
shoulder. The privilege of catching the
rats is farIned out by the authorities, and
a profitable business it is. The rats are
sleek and fat, and fetch high prices for
their fur, skins and f1esh-the latter doubt
less appearing in the restaurants where
one may have "dinner for one franc with
wine, bread at discretion" Rat flesh is
not bad eating, at least SO say those
who have tried it, our knowledge in the
matter being limited. lis delicate, white,
firm, tastes like chicken, and in China
the soup made from it is considered to be
equal to our well-known OK tail. In the
Celestial Kingdom rats are worth two
dollars per dozen. In the West Indies the
rats exist in enormous numbers on the
sugar plantations, and work great damage
by gnawing the growing sugar cane.
Each plantation has Its official rat-catcher,
who is paid by piece-work, that is, SO
much dozen for tails brought in.
The credit of suggesting the most ex-
tensive utilization of rats is due to Mr. p
L. Simmonds, who has lately printed an
admirable work on these and other uDde-
veloped sources of profit-from which we
have drawn many of the curious facts
above given. Mr.. Simmonds suggests that
a profitable venture might be made from
Kurrachee to Canton and Hong Kong of
sailed rats. About 1000, 600 could be
cured and packed aboard 400-ton ship.
For the sake of curiosity we quote Mr..
Simmonds' estimate of profits 100000
rats at six cents per dozen, $35, 900; salt
ing, curing, etc., sixty per cent, $21 900;
total cost, SIG, 600; and 1000, 900 rats sold
at 50 per dozen, 81, 1G6, 666.66, shows
profit of $1,000, 666.66. There! No one
can charge us-thanks to Mr.. Simmonds
with not having done our best to enrich
our readers. Few journals can claim
the proud laurel which we boldly now
grasp, of having pointed out the way for
any one to become millionaire. -Scien-
tLic american.