Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-10-29

free places. depositing some wherev-
er he wanders.
Poultry growers have found that il
Is practically impossible to rear young
incubator chicks where there are con-
siderable numbers OF rats, as these
take keen delight in killing as man!
as possible, sometimes destroying {
whole hatch in one night. They fine
food in country slaughter houses. cat
ing the offal of slaughtered animals
and. in this way. pcrpctuating tho
disease known as trichinae in pork
They also get as n source of food tho
remnants Of lunches left by employees
in factories. stores or public buildings
and this small amount Of food. alone
Is sufficient to attract and sustain
small army Of rats. They shorten tho
life of sills and floor timber in tho
floor OF many wooden buildings 10y
digging tunnels around under them
and piling dirt against them where
they may find n safe retreat from
nearly all enemies.
Birds are needed to help in control
ling the insects affecting the crops
yet. rats prey on the eggs and young
of many kinds of these birds, and
keep them from ass-thc,
should.
It can he seen, therefore, that the
necessity for keeping such pests In
check Is very vital and apparent
one. and there is no better time than
now to wage war against them. VIC
are asked by the government to con-
serve our food and to save rs much rs
possible so that our soldiers and oui
Allies may be properly fed. and tho
people mt homo sufficiently nourishcd
yet. all this while we are paying tan
to this pest which returns TO us nc
value at all.
As method of dcstroying-therc
are many kinds of traps recommend
ed. poisons may also he used. while
dogs cats and fcrrcts may do some
good. The use Of fumigatlon by which
rats are destroyed In their burrows In
the field by putting wad Of cotton
soaked in carbon hisulphide pushed into
the Mirrow. and the opening packed
with earth to prevent the escaping OF
gas. is n good method. In this way
phyxiatcd. Other gases may bc used ir
warehouses; whore these arc tightly
closed. and the rats either killed. oI
driven ont. but II Is hardly practical
to use these in occupied buildings
Cats are n considerable help in over
coming the remarkable development ir
numbers. but these are of most value
for mice, very few learning to catcf
rats The ordinary house cat is toe
we'll fed, anyway. to undertake the
capture of an animal rs formidable as
the brown rat. In fact. the continued
eating Of rats in some cases poisons
cats.
Traps cost nothing in maintenance
except bait, and the five and ten cent
trap, the wire cage sort. or the stce
spring traps. are all good and recon-
mended by the agricultural extension
service. The bait used in these traps
should be that which is different from
that which the rat generally feeds on
Bits of toasted cheese. or bacon. ma!
he used effectively. II must he re.
mcmbered. however. that the rats art
very sly, and that bait must he chang
cd often. the trap kept clean. and pre-.
fcrably handled with gloves to enticc
the animal into them.
One man was ve.y successful ir
catching rats by covering n barrel will
brown paper and feeding the rats in 6
warehouse on top Of this barrel fol
several nights. After they had learned
to eat there with comparative freedom
he cut two slits crosswise the top ant