Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-26
MAKING war ON RATS
Government Tells How to Destrof,
These Pests That "Cause Loss
OF EIiIliOTas.''

OF EIiIlioTas.''
TIME Agricultural Department has
issued description of the COM
mon Norway, or brown, rat with
some suggestions as to how It may be
kept down.
This rat is described as the Worst
mammal pest in the United States-the
loss from its depredations amounting
to many millions of dollars yearly
more than the losses from the depre-
cations of all other Injurious mammals
com bined."
It's dominance is due to It's great fe-
cundity and it's ability to adapt itself
to all sorts of conditions 1t breeds
three or four times a year and pro-
duces from six to twelve, and even
more. young at a litter. Young females
breed when only four or five mon.ha
old.
1t destroys grains when newly
planted. while growing, and in tho
shock, stack. NOV. crib granary mill,A
elevator, or ships hold, and also in thes
bin and feed trough. It invades stores
ana warehouses and destroys furs.
laces, silks carpets. leather goods and
groceries
1t attacks vegetables, fruits and&
meats in the market and destroys Il
pollution ten times as much as it aca
ually eats a
1t carries disease germs from house.
to house and bubonic plague from city,
to city. 1t causes disastrous conflagra-
tons: floods houses by gnawing lead
water pipes; ruins artificial ponds and
entertainments by burrowing; destroys
the farmers pigs. eggs, and young
poultry; eats the eggs and young of
song and game birds; and damages
foundations. floors, doors and furnish-
ings of dwellings
One Of the cheapest and most efrec.
tive poisons for rats and mice is bar
lum carbonate, or barytes This min-
eral has the advantage Of being with-s
out taste or smell; and. in the smallv
quantities used in poisoning rats ON
mice is harmless to larger animals, \
It's action on rodents is slow, but
reasonably sure, and has the furtheM
advantage that the animals before dyM
Ing. If exit be possible, usually leayul
the premises in search of water. rs
employment in houses, therefore, Hrs
rarely followed by the annoying o3lt
Which attends the use of more virul NC
tpoisons. OF
The poison may be fed in the for77lIe
OF dough made Of one fifth barytei
and four-fifths meal. but q more con
venient bait is ordinary oatmeal, W.
about one-eighth of its bulk of barytSg
mixed with water to stiff dough; on
the barytes may be spread upon bread
and butter or moistened toast.
The prepared bait should be placed
IN rat runs, small quantity at a
place. If a single application fails to
drive all rats from the premises, it
should be repeated with a change of
bait.
strichnine Is more virulent poison,
out It's action Is so rapid that the ami
mas often die upon the premises. a
circumstance which prohibits It's use in
occupied dwellings. Elsewhere strych-
nine may be employed with great sue
cess. Dry strychnine crystals may be
inserted in small pieces Of raw meat.
VIENNA sausage, or toasted cheese, and
these placed in the rat runs; or oat-
meal may be wet with strychnine
sirup and small quantities laid out in
the same way.
For poisoning rats in buildings and
yards occupied by poultry, the follow
Ing method Is recommended: Two
i wooden boxes should be used, one con-
siderably larger than the other and
each having two or more holes in the
side large enough to admit rats.
! The poisoned bait should be placed
on the bottom and near the middle Of
the larger box, and the smaller box
should then be inverted over it. Rats
thus have free access to the bait, but
fowls are excluded.
Trapping. If persistently followed, Is
one Of the most effective methods of
destroying rats. The improved mod
ern traps with wire fall released by a
baited trigger and driven by coiled
spring have marked advantages over
the old forms and many Of them may
be used at the same time.
While trapping. all other food
should be changed often. Rats are
very suspicious. and bats and traps
should be handled as little as possible.
Increased success may be secured both
in trapping and poisoning if the rats
are fed for night or two with the
kinds Of food to be used for bait.
The best way of excluding rats from
try, is by the use of cement in cons
} struction. AS the advantages of this
material are coming to be generally
: understood, its use is rapidly extending
to all kinds of buildings.
The cellar walls should have cons
: crete floorings and the walls thems
) selves be laid In cement mortar. The
5 cellar floor should be of the medium
rather than lean" concrete, and all
t water and drain pipes should be sur
: rounded with concrete.
Even an old cellar may be made rat
: lproof at comparatively small cost. Rat
: holes may be permanently closed by a
mixture of cement, sand, and broken
glass or sharp bits of stone.
Rat-proof granaries corncribs, and
poultry houses may be constructed By
liberal use of concrete in the founda-
tons and floors.