Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-06-11
The Rats i'm Brazil.

From time to time, in all parts of
Brazil, the plantations are subject to
the depredations of armies Of rats that
issue from the forests and consume ev.
erything edible that comes in their
way. During a recent excursion in the
province of Parana, Mr.. Derby found
an almost universal lack of corn
throughout the province, due to such
invasion of rats, by which almost the
entire crop of last year had been de-
stroyed.
This invasion, or plague, as it is
called, is said to occur at intervals of
about thirty years, and to be stimuli
neous with the drying of the taquara,
or bamboo, which everywhere abOunds
in the Brazilian forests. The popu-
lar explanation is that every cane OF
bamboo sprouts with q grub, the germ
of rat, within it, and that when the
bamboo ripens and dies the germ be-
comes fully-developed rat, and comes
out to prey on the plantations.
An educated and observant English
man, Mr.. Herbert II. Mercer, who has
resided number of years in the prov
ince and had an opportunity of study
ing the phenomenon, furnished Mr..
Derby the following rational and curl
GUS explanation: The bamboo arrives
at maturity, flowers and seeds at inter.
walls OF several years, which doubtless
vary with the different species. The
period for the species most abundant
in Parana is thirty years. The process,
instead OF being simultaneous, occupies
about five years, q few of the canes
going to seed the first year, an in.
creased number the second, and so on
progressively, till finally the remain
ing and larger portion of the canes seed
at the same time. Each cane bears
about peck of edible seed, resembling
rice, which is very fat and nourishing,
and is often eaton by the Indians. The
quantity produced is enormous, and
large areas are often covered to the
depth OF five or six inches. After seed
ing, the cane dies, breaks off at the
root, and falls to the ground, the pro-
cess of decay being fastened by the
borings OF larvae which live upon the
bamboo and appear to be particularly
abundant at seeding time. These Larvae
have doubtless given rise to the story
OF the grub developing into rat. New
canes spring up from the seed, but re-
quire seven or eight years to become fit
for use. and thirty to reach maturity.
With the sudden and constantly increas.
ing supply of nourishing food for five
years, the rats and mice, both of native
aud imported species, increase extraor-
dinarily in numbers. The fecundity of
these animals is we'll known, and the
result after four or five years of
an unusual and constantly increas.
ing supply of excellent food, aud
in the absence of enemies of equal
fecundity, can readily be imagined.
The last crop OF seei being mature and
fallen to the ground, the first rain
causes it to decay in the space of very
few days. The rats, suddenly deprived
of food, commence to migrate, invading
the plantations and houses, and con
sEming everything that does not hap
pen to be repugnant to the not very
fastidious palate of u furnishing rodent.
If this happens at the time OF corn
planting, the seed is consumed as fast
as it Can be put into the ground. The
mandioca is dug up: the rice crop, if
it happens to be newly sown, or in seed,
is consumed, as is also everything in
the houses i'll the way of provisions
and leather, if not carefully guarded in
tin trunks.