The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1909-12-24
RAT IS A PR6lEM !,
PROBABLY THE WORST MAN. :
LIAM PEST KNOWN TO MAN..
Destroys Property Worth Millions ot
Dollars Every Year and otssenn-
mates eubonjc PIa0ue-Stud.
led by Biological Survey.

The rat Is believed to be the worst
mammalian pest known to man. Not
only does 1t destroy property worth
millions of dollars every year, but 1t
r. now known to be the principal
agent in disseminating bubonic
plague. This is not a contagious dis
8 In the ordinary sense. The in.
lection is spread from rat to rat and
from rat to man solely by means Of
the rat flea.
The United States department Of
agriculture, through its biological sur
vey, has recently given the rat prob
lem serious attention. The results of
that work have appeared in a bulle-
tin on THE Brown Rat" There ara
several species of rats, but the com.
NOR house or barn rat, the so-caIled
Norway rat" is the most widespread
and by far the most destructive. BY
means of ships 1t has been carried to
almost every part Of the world. and
wherever landed it has proceeded to
make itself at home.
The species has wonderful adapta-
bility to climatic and other conditions
In North America it is found from
Panama to the Yukon valley and to
Greenland.
The rats bill Of fare includes al.
most everything eaten by man, and .
considerable number Of things not in
cluded in human dietaries, as. for in
stance. carrion, mice, kid gloves, ivory
and horses hoofs.
Among the most common foods Of
rats are corn and other grain. If fed
on grain alone, 1t is estimated that
one rat will eat go cents worth in .
year, while of oatmeal, 1t will con-
sumo $1.80 worth. If we suppose the
number of rats in the United States
to be equal to the number of horses.
cattle, sheep and hogs. 1t would cost
more than 500. 600, 900 . year to board
them ON grain.
But the damage done by rats is not
to be measured by what they eat
Through pollution of food products
they do az much damage as by eat
ing them. Besides they do great dam
age by digging under buildings and
embankments, by gnawing woodwork,
but cutting holes in sacks, and by cut
ting up goods and papers to make
nests. They XIII young p~ouitry-and
squads. They steal eggs. They fire.
quently destroy the nests Of wild
birds. They have been known to
gnaw holes In lead pipes, and they
cause fires by gnawing the insulating
covering from electric wires where
they pass under the floors or inside
partitions. They also cause fires by
carrying and gnawing matches.
Though q serious pest on farms.
rats commit their greatest depreda-
lions In cities. An attempt has been
made t. secure from the business men
Of Washington. D. c., estimates Of
the annual losses due to rats and mice.
The data secured indicate losses ex-
ceeding 100000.
The rapidity with which rats multi
ply is the main reason why man APP
re17s to make so little Roadway In
their destruction. The females give
birth to large litters Of young. and
the intervals between the litters are
short. More than 20 young rats have
been found in a single nest. and 1t is
safe to estimate the average litter At
more than ten. It has been calculat- !
Cd that . single pair Of rats and their
progeny. breeding without Interrupt
ton and suffering no losses would In
three years increase to more than