Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-05

WORSE THAN FLIES.
Of the Two Pests Rats Are the More
Dangerous.


The rat-not the kind milady used
to. wear in her hair, but the four
legged, bewhiskered rodents severe
ly cedonmned as a disease breeder by
r. H. Creel, passed assistant surgeon,
United States public health service. in
public health report issued from the
! government printing office.
"of all the parasits that have their
being in and around the habitation
of man, the rat has less to justify its
existence than any other" the report
says. "As devoid Of any redeening
traits as the fly, that has been the
subject of a nationwide sanitary cru
sade, the rat is a greater pest because
of its depredations and its possibili-
ties for harm in the transmission and
perpetuation of bubonic plague in q
community. The latter consideration
is Of more serious import in seaport
towns, wherever they may be, and
in those localities where plague has
once appeared, but with the world
wide march Of bubonic plague in no
city should its advent be regarded as
improbable.
| For anti plague work in the United
States and its insular possessions
the Philippines. Hawaii and Porto
Rico-there has been spent in recent
years by the Federal government,
through the United States public
health service and by the different
local government forces. vast sum.
The loss to commercial interests in all
these places, due to interference OF
shipping facilities and sanitary re-
strictions by other countries, has made
the sum actually spent for the plague
work seems as a drop in the bucket
"Bubonic plague IS endemic on ev-
cry continent in the world and in
practically all countries excepting
possibly those Of continental Europe.
In our own country any laxity Of sani-
tary surveillance Of the endemic CEN
ters on the Pacific coast would result
in the broadcast spread Of the disease.
| The same will apply to all endemic
centers. 1t Is a question Of central
vigilance.
by means of trapping percentages
covering a period OF one year it was
determined that the rodent popula-
ton in San Francisco was slightly in
excess Of the human population. In
Porto Rico, where the same method
Of computation was employed. the
portion of the rate and human in
habitants in cities was about equal.
I'm the rural district o. Indiana and
other states the number Of rats on
any farm or plantation will easily
average three or four times the num-
Der Of persons on the estate, and in
the grain or cane producing area the
production will be manifold. In cane
producing tropical and semi-tropical
countries, such as Porto Rico, all the
West Indies, the Hawaiian Islands
and the Philippines where the roof
rat and the field rat predominant, the
rat population Is incredibly large. On
one cane plantation in Porto Rico,
where there was less than 500 per-
sons, within six months there were
killed $4,000 rodents.
"It is therefore evident that an es-
innate Of the rodent population Of
the United States as equal to the
human census would be we'll below
the probable number. In our insular
dependencies-Porto Rico. Hawaii and
the Philippines-where the cane fields
are especially overrun with rats, the
rodent population is undoubtedly sew
eral times the human population.
Computing the upkeep Of the rat
as one-half a cent day, and estimat-
ing one rat to each person, the sum
of $1S7,00O,000 annually is lost to the
pest.
"The determination Of rats Is not
nearly so easy as fly destruction. An
adult rat will, on the average, pro-
duce young six times yearly and from
six to twelve young in each litter.
There have been known cases where
full-grown female Uttered twelve
times in one year: A rat can produce
when three months old. This remark
able fecundity. together with the in
stinctive secretive habits Of the rat,
which, being an animal Of nocturnal
habits, lies hidden during the day
and is active at night, while his hu-
man foe is asleep, readily accounts
for the large rat population in any To-
cality and emphasizes the difficulty of
rat destruction.
RATS can be destroyed by trapping,
by poisoning and by using natural
enemies, as certain breeds Of cats and
dogs. To insure success to these
measures it will be necessary to cur
tail the rats food supply by properly
disposing Of garbage and table refuse
and by preventing rats from gaining
access to such fooG as is contained In
pantries, groceries, markets, stables,
etc. The municipal government will
have to assist the efforts of citizens
along this line by creating and en-
forcing suitable ratproof laws.
Merely to keep premises clean and
free from rubbish will be of but little
benefit, as rodents generally, even
when abundant rubbish is available,
prefer more secure cover, as that
of beneath floors and within double
walls and ceilings. So along with
other measures for the destruction of
rats, all buildings, chicken yards,
garbage, receptacles. sidewalks and
planked areas must be built or re-
paired to prevent rat harboring.
"Ratproofing by elevation is chiefly
applicable to small and medium sized
frame dwellings. The intent is to
have sufficient elevation-about two
feet-so that the ground area be-
meath will be as exposed and free
from covert as unbuilt-upon land.
Marginal ratproofing will suffice in
more pretentious dwellings. where
sufficient care can be exercised to
prevent rats from gnawing through