Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-20
HOW TO KILL RATS.

Every season | am seriously troubled
with rats III my corn crib. | cannot trap
them, for they will not go into a trap.
They seem to know what L rat-trap is the
moment they lay eyes on it. Once in a
while ] catch one in a steel-trap, but that
single success puts an end to the work for
months. Their associated press reports
the event, possibly, and from that time on
the steel-trap IS no more effectual as a rat
catcher than two corn-cobs tied together
would be. Not long ago a man came to my
place to sell me the county right on q rat
trap that he assured me would clean every
rat out for miles around, and not half
try. II was an ingenious continuance. and
had to be wound up to set 1t going after
rats. | didn't want any county right, but
i wanted fewer rats, so | told the man that
since he was evidently wearied from long
travel in selling county rights, and since he
had his trap along with him, that rest of
week or so would do him good. no doubt,
and if he felt disposed to stop with me and
catch my rats for mere amusement, that
his bed and board should cost him nothing,
and that, when he had caught and killed
all the rats I'd rig up my mule cart and
we'd shovel the dead rats into it, fumigate
them, and haul them to Fort Worth as proof
positive of what his traps would do; and
besides this, would execute sworn GER
Gficate to aid him in his future operations.
The gentleman accepted my offer. SO we
wound up the trap, placed it in the corn-crib
and cleared the decks outside so as to be
ready for the coming rat slaughter OF next
morning. / went half mile and borrowed
a neighbours rat dog to help US kill rats as
they were let out of the trap.
Next morning there were no rats in the
trap, but thinking they might all have been
away TO camp-meeting or sub-treasurv
conference, we oiled the machinery and
wound up the trap all ready to take them iii
next nj ght. Same old story on the following
mOrning-no rats in the trap; SO | gave the
nelghbor'S dog good feed and we wound
up and tried it again. Same result. And
thus we kept it up for about one week. At
the end of that time went out early in the
Il ornine to see how many rats We're in the
trap, as was my custoni-lo, the trap was
gonel Somebody must have stolen it while
we slept. or the rats have carried it away
l couldn't tell which. j hurried back to the
house to inform the man of our misfortune
where. mirabile dictu. l found that the man
was gone also. And these eyes of mine
have not seen him or his wonderful rat-trap
since. But the rats appear to all be in the
corn-crib still, and doing as well as could be
expected under the circumstances.
Of course. might poison those rats, but
they would die among the corn and impart
to it an aroma not overly agreeable to either
man or beast Please answer through THE
y
effectual means by which might get rid Of
my surplus rat stock. TRINITY.
Tarrant county, Tex.
Trapping rats in corn crib amounts to
but little in the way of exterminating them,
as you abundantly suggest. Poisoning them
will not do for reasons that you have set
forth in words entirely plain enough to be
clearly understood. An old North Caro-
linian once told us of a method employed by
him for clearing rats out of his corn crib,
the which we have never yet put to the
test, but which looks so well in theory that
we cannot help believing it would work out
all right to practice. Before cribbing his
corn he built box twelve inches square
and eight or ten feet long. Inside of this
he placed second box just small enough to
fit nicely and be easily slipped in or out. A
hole was cut through the side of the crib to
let the box pass in, and it was placed into
position on the floor Of the crib before
in the corn. the outer end coming
just flush with the outside of the crib. The
outer end Of the largest box was left open,
but the smaller box, sliding into the interior
of the larger box, was closed on all sides
and ends. A lot of cotton, corn silks or
other litter was placed in the interior
box, and on each side near the
back end two-inch auger hole was
bored through both boxes. A handle
was arranged on the outer end Of the inter
ior box to favor drawing it out when neces-
sary.
1t didn't take the rats long to find this
box arrangement and make their den in it.
When it was thought that the rats had
established themselves the interior box