The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-19

Help observation-disclosures That Were
Tried TO Rid the Country of Them-In-
lection Did 1t.
Washington, d. c., Feb. 1S.-Such a
plague as civilized man never experience
ed has, during the past two years and a
half, afflicted the people of certain prov
inces of Russia. 1t is a plague of rats
and mice. 1t has caused tremendous
damage to property, and. in some in
stances. endangered the lives of the peo-
pie. So abnormal has been the increase
of the pestifurious rodents in certain
localities in the agricultural districts
that the afflicted provinces have liter
ally been swept clean of grain in both
field and granary. Having destroyed
the crops, the little animals have invad-
ed dwelling houses and, in scores OF
cases, ruined them as places of abode.
Heroic measures were adopted by the
inhabitants TO rid themselves of the
plague. Colonies of cats and terrier
dogs were imported into the districts,
but after a little while neither the cats
nor the dogs would pay the slightest at
tention to the rodents. The govern
ment was then appealed to by the SUI
fering people and recourse was had 10
scientific means of Kidding the country
Of the mice. Eminent bacterologlStS
were employed by the government 10
devise plans to inoculate the rodents
with infectious disease, and SO success
full were they that the rats and mice
died by the million. By this means the
plague was practically stamped out
early last summer.
Mr.. Thomas Z. Heenan, consul for the
a :
| transmitted to the state department a
long report on the subject of that extra
ordinary plague. He says that during
the years 1893 and 1894, and extending
into 1895, the agricultural interests Of
Russia have suffered serious loss owing
to the destruction by numerous Varie-
ties of ats and mice, of the growing
crops as well as grain in stacks. The
extraordinary number of these rodents,
the great destruction caused by them,
and the efforts made 10 eXterminate
them are best given by quoting the an
swers sent to me in response to my
request for information from the au-
thorities of five of the most important
agricultural districts within the range
OF this consular district.
From the report of the governor of
BesSaralia these excerpts are made:
THE extraordinarily rapid multiplied
ton of this army of rodents is attribut-
ed to two consecutive harvests, in con-
sequence of which much grain re-
manned in stacks unthrashed, and the
autumn of 1893 having been very mild.
The mice multiplied on the spot, and no
migration was observed, which is all
cOrroborated by their simultaneous ap-
pearance in Bessarabia and in the alb
joining provinces. The rodents appear
ed in the autumn of 1893 and attained
their largest numbers in the autumn of
1894, after which they began to de-
erase, so that in the spring of 1895 no
further complaints regarding them was
heard" Among the various measures
adopted TO exterminate the mice. the
governor mentions holes in the ground
as mouse traps, and mechanical de-
vises for killing them. Regarding their
infection by means of bacteriae diseases
the governor says that experiments
were made only with the cultivation of
the germ of Loeffler, Lazare andMereZ-
hkooski, the last named giving the best
results. The rodents eventually perish
ed from the epidemics, and by the sum-
mer of 1895 the people had practically
been relieved from the plague.
The secretary of the rural admins
tratiOn of the province of Cherson
writes: at is not possible to value the
extent of damage caused by the mice,
because they are accompanied by rats
which not only devour grain and other
produce, but even destroy village build
! ings. With the assistance Of the rural
administration the people determined to
exterminate the mice with Professor
| Loeffler's cultivation of typhus murium,
as prepared by theOdesSa bacterioloSl-
cal stations The results were not sat
| isfactory and in June. 1894, the depart
ment of agriculture sent TO the province
Of ChersOn DR.. Merezhkooski. the assist
ant manager of the meteorological lab
oratory OF the department TO carry out
experiments of DISCRIMINATING the mice
by means of the cultivation OF the bac-
Illus discovered by him" The expert
ments gave good results and in Octo-
Der they were extended under the su-
pervision of a special commission. On
the sixth day after the experiments
were begun the mice began TO perish
of the disease with which they had been
inoculated. and on the ninth day they
died by the million. Soon the mice were
reduced to their normal numbers.
In all the other afflicted districts the
latest meteorological methods were en-
plOyed Of inoculating the rodents with
the bacini of infectious diseases.
The numerous stories related by Con-
sui Heenan of how and why, in the
opinion of the people. the army of TO
dents swarmed over the fields. country
houses and village dwellings: the indif-
| ference TO their presence shown 10y
| both cats and dogs. and the ahsolute
refusal of the cats and dogs to modest
/ the rodents would form chapter more
| sensational perhaps than instructive.
The peasantry believe that the mice I'M
| 6ertake extensive migrations en- masSe
under foreboding of impending failure
| Of crops in those localities where the
mice originated.
Mr. Heenan says that millions OF the
animals were drowned in the wells and
rivers. and that. therefore, the popula-
ton of the afflicted localities was obhg-
| ed to discontinue the use Of water from
the wells and 10 abstain from fish. par
| ticularly pike. as food, because il was
| discovered that they contained mice
An incident which came under the
| personal observation of Mr.. Heenan IS
not without interest while waiting
| for a train at q small station on a
! branch line of the Southwestern rail-
| way" he writes. "a clergyman. with
very long hair and beard. who was
| walking up and down the platform.
| stopped for a moment and raised the
| end of A canvass which served as a
cover IoT a al Se quantity q W 4iTsa-
| that awaiting shipment. In an instant
! a mass Of mice sprang AZ him and his
| beard, hair and cloak became literally
alive with them. To brush them on
| VAS matter of some time. and when
my fellow traveller al length thought
| himself free he was dismayed 10 find
| mice in each OF his trousers pockets
KEEP THEIR MOUTHS SHUT
! Presidential Candidates DO Not Acknowl-
edge They are Running.
pb,Iadalnhia. Feb. lS.-Henry McFar-