Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-03-05
TRAPPING THE CUNNING RAT.
4 Novel Plan for Making Them De-
strOy One Another.
Hoard's Dairymau.

The following novel plan OF trapping
rats was described by writer in Corn
hill dune, 1890: THE cunning Of
rats makes attempts to catch them III
! traps almost futile, their keen scent
recognizing the places where a hand
| has been, and warming them to avoid
( 80 dangerous locality. The use "f
! gloves smcared with anisecd may lull
the suspicious uf the animal; but traps
will never be the means OF greatly
diminishing its numbers where it has
fairly established itself. The best
course to take where the determination
Of a colony OF rats becomes a necessity
is to make them help to destroy one
another in the following manner: A
number of tubs, proport:onate to the
number OF rats in the place from
which it is desired to rid them, should
be placed about, the middle of each
occupied by 4 brick standing on end.
The bottom of these tubs should be
covered with water to such Il depth
that about an inch OF brick projects
above it. The top OF the tub should
be covered with stout brown paper,
upon which dainty meal of bacon
rind and other scraps dear to the rat
palate figures, sloping board giving
the rodent facilities for partaking Of
it. The feast should be renewed for
several nights, so that all the rats in
the ncighborhood may get to know Of
the good food which is placed within
such easy reach. When it is judged
that this policy has been pursued long
enough, the center of the brown paper
should he cut in such manner that
a2v rat venturing on it will be pre-
cipitaicd into the cold water below.
1t might be thought that the result of
this would be abe capture of rat, or
at the most two, for each tub pre-
pared, but no such meager result for
the trouble that has been taken need
be feared. The rat, finding his trust
abused and himself struggling in the
w:ter at the bottom of the tub, soon
RECEIVERS sufficiently from the shock to
discover that there is an island of ref
uge, on to which he chambers, and
squeals his loudest for help. Now the
squeal of a rat in trouble attracts
every one of his kind within hearing,
and very few moments will elapse be-
fore the victim OF misplaced confidence
is joined by one of his friends. The
newcomer is as quick to discover the
chance of escape from watery grave
as was the original victim, but when
he attempts to avail himself of its
presence, it becomes apparent that
there is not room for more than one
upon it. The first conner resists with
tooth and nail the efforts of his COM
panion in trouble to dispossess him Of
his coign of vantage, and the squeals
which form an accompaniment to the
fight for footing upon the brick, at
tract more rats to the scene of the
tragedy. The conflict wakes more
and more furious rs rat after rat top
Piles into the water, and by morning
bedraggled corpses in plenty will
gladden. the eyes of the man whose
losses at the teeth of the rats have in
duced him to adopt this means Of
thinning their numbers. Some years
ago the plan deicribed above was
tried in city warehouse, with the re-
suit that 5000 rats were destroyed in
a single night.