The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-05-01
Rodents Becoming Numerous in
Virginia and Cause Much
:3oupHOuuV
STEEL TRAP is THE
BEST EXTERMINA TOR
Interesting Letter from DIR.
Chesley Gives Information
on Subject.
From Saturdays Daily.

from saturdays DAILY.
The health department of the city
of Virginia is about to commence a
campaign to exterminate the rat pest
in Virginia as far as possible and
plans are now being outlined.
Until few months ago rats were
unknown on the Mesaba range. They
first made their appearance at Eve
leth, where it is said miners first
observed them in one of the under
ground mines. In this city the rat
pest has become so pronounced that
short time ago the situation was
called to the attention of the health
department by Ex-Mayor Murphy.
DR.. A. J. Chesley of the state board
of health writes the following letter
20 the local health department in re-
>ponse to an inquiry as to the best
methods for fighting the rat plague:
"1n regard to the epidemic of rats,
DR.. Richard G. Heiser, Surgeon, U. S.
p. H. S., Chief Quarantine officer and
director of health for the Philippine
Islands, has kept track of the number
of rats caught by different kinds Of
traps or poisoned by different sorts
Of bats during the entire rat cam
paign in Manila. From the result of
his observations it is shown that the
ordinary spring or snap trap is the
most efficient and is the cheapest.
While poisoning kills some, it is ex-
pensive out of proportion to the trap.
The organism, B. Typhi Murium of
Danyz does not always kill rats when
they feed on it, even in large guam
titles. 1t is recommended as one of
the means of Kidding place of the
pest. The way the infection is spread
from one rat to another is by the rats
eating the bodies of those dead of
disease If food is soaked in the cul-
ture and put out it does not seem to
have any particular advantage over
phosphorus, arsenic and other chemical
poisons, as the rat would be just as
likely to eat one kind of bait as an
other. In closed places, the fumes of
burning sulphur may be used to kill
rats. This is what is used in the
Public Health Service in killing rats
on vessels coming from plague infect
ed ports.
"It has been figured that the annual
upkeep per rat varies from $1.0O to
$3.50, if not more. These are foreign
figures based upon the destruction
through rats eating valuable material.
"Whatever method is used to kill
them off, The proper disposal Of gar
bage and table refuse and other ma
terial which rats eat, must be con-
sidered. If the food supply is cut off
the rat loses his interest in the To-
cality. Of course, the more good rat
dogs and cats, the better. If you are
to be permanently rid of them special
attention must be paid to buildings so
that rats may not nest under floors
and in partitions. They are very pro-
ficient in swimming, burrowing, climb
ing, jumping and other means of get
ting from one place to another, es-
pecially in the pursuit Of food. Some
times a large number of rats may be
caught in one night by setting up
high walled galvanized can or some
other sort of a container with smooth
metal walls which they can not climb
and which is too high for them to
Jump out. Put some food in the bot
tom of the can and make run with
board from the outside so that the
rats can walk along this gang plank
and jump into the can to get the food
and then they are unable to climb or
jump out.
II should think you would be able
to interest some of the boys by put
ting a small bounty on rats and get
ting them to use dogs, traps and other
devices for killing them off. 1t is an
important sanitary measure, l believe,
ID one we'll worth taking up seri-
ously.
"a. j. CHESLEY, Director"