The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-09-12
scAREcRows.

i
Farmers complain that of late wear
the scarecrow has become entirely use
less. There was q time when ON,
scarecrow with st. Patrick's hat an,
an Oshkosh frock coat would protect ,
corn-field from crows of average in
telligence, but it is no longer eilicacious
The crows have become familiar wifi
the appearance of the tramps who in
Test all parts of the country. and it is
well understood in crow circles tha
the tramp never carries a gun, and is
therefore harmless. The scarecrow AZ
closely resembles the tramp that crow.
fail to discriminate between them. and
imagining that the scarecrow is merely
contemplate tramp, they steal corn
under the very shadow of its hat.
1t was always a mistake to suppose
THAT crows could be for any length OF
time frightened by scarecrows. The
scarecrow was an imitation man. and
1t ought to have been foreseen that the
crows would some day find that a scare
crow incapable of firing a gun could do
no harm. The farmers should have an
pealed to that fear of the supernatural
which is inherent in all animals. Could
they have employed ghost to protect
their corn-6elds, not single grain of
corn would have been. stolen The
success of Mr.. Woodruff efforts to rid
his house of rats by means of a phostiv
cat Is alone sufficient to prove that If
we really want to brighten animals we
must appeal to their fear of the super
natural
1t is well known that rats and mice
can not be successfully resisted with
traps. Young rats may occasionally
wander into trap. but every expert
enced rat knows trap when he sees it
and simply laughs att. Inevery house
there are sure to be two or three lead;no
and influential rats who are perfectly
familiar with traps, and who warn their
Younger associates to beware of them.
The old-fashioned spring trap is deci-
dedly popular among rats, for the reason
that they can readily spring it and AT
terward carry off the cheese at their
leisure. As for those ingenious traps
des gned to catch mice alive, they are
entirely worthless. A rat who sees a
small box with seductive piece of
cheese displayed behind the iron bars of
an misunderstanding compartment
knows perfectly well that it is a tran.
and he will refuse to enter the door of
the box even when it is decorated with
the legend in large plain letters: ..Rats
will please enter and turn to the left.
The best of free cheese always on hand.r
Mr. Woodruff having spent much
money on traps. and having found that
poison was in vain and real cats were
lazy. decided to try the experiment of
rats by convinc ng them that
The house was haunted. He prepared a
arge stuffed cat with green glass ewes
and a ferocious and sarcastic smile. and
placed in her interior an electric Iigbt.
There was large closet in his bedroom
which contained half dozen rat holes
rom which rats came forth every night |
IN foraging expeditions. In the middle |
II this closet he placed the cat and con- |
lected her internal light with wires |
unnlng to battery near his beside. |
having thus prepared his feline ghost
'fr. Woodruff went to bed and waited |
or the rats. As soon as the house was
ulet the rats came out. and when.
Judging from the noise, there were at
east dozen in the room, he turned ON
rs electric light. Wild squeaks of hor-
or greeted the awful appearance of
he ghostly cat. with her glowing ewes
nd shining teeth. and there was the
ush OF many feet as the frightened
ats fled to their holes. Mr.. Woodruff
over the success of his ex-
eriment. arose and examined the
loset. Two rats, who had tried to
inter- the same hole at the same time
nd had become securely jammed. were
licking fiercely. while three female rats
~ on the floor in dead swoon. These
'ere soon seized and committed TO the
asty bathtub, and the ghostly cat was
1T to stand guard over the rat holes
II daylight
What Is still more remarkable. the |
hts left the house without an hours
clay. There had previously been. at
low estimate. fully 1000 rats in that
ouse, not to speak of swarms of SUBJ
diary mice. From the hour when the
uifed cats electric light began to /
low not rat or a mouse has been seen
Mr.. Woodruf's house. The animals
lat had laughed at traps, Knocked at ,
al cats and grown fat on poison, ,
ere frightened OFF the premises by a
ngie apparition of an apparently super :
itural cat. and their stories have given I
e house such an uncanny reputation
at it is safe to prophesy that rats and
ice will avoid it for years to come.
The farmers should take hint from
r. Woodruff's success. If they could .
vent a scarecrow representing a tramp !
work the crows would be vanquished. y
hey would. of course. assume the
orking tramp to be supernatural (
ing, and the terror with which the $
hit would fill them would rid the Q
hole region of crows for at least during 4
g present season.-N Y. Times.
An Englishman has patented I
ocess of manufacturing slippers. sand =