Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-12-25
A STATE VIDE
WAR ON RATS
Food Administration and COLLEGE
Of Agriculture Urge Public
to Fight the Pests.
THEY COST STATE
100000 A YEAR
Agricultural Col lsss Iasuss a Bulletin
a. Guide fog Local Rat
campalons.

A campaign to rid Minnesota Of rats
has been begun by the federal food
administration for Minnesota and the
division Of entomology and economic
zoology Of the Minnesota College of
Agriculture.
Rats eat about $4,000, 900 worth of
Minnesota foodstuffs every year. This
means an annual tax on every resi-.
dent of Minnesota of 81, for which
there Ia absolutely no return. Be.
sides, rats arc carriers of disease and
there 10 20 telling to what extent they
increase tho burdens Of tho people n
this respect.
What Rats Cost the U. ..
The figures for the whole United
States are still more striking. Rats
cost the United States annually not
less than 100000. 900. to say nothing
OF disease spread by them.
Rats eat valuable foodstuffs: they
cause disastrous fires; they spread
bubonic plague. trichihosts, and other
maladies; they eat grain in the fields
and In warehouses; they take unpro-
tected food from stock; they eat eggs
and young chickens; and the eggs Of
many birds which are exterminators
OF insect pests: they destroy fruits
and vegetables, and they multiply with
tremendous rapidity, increasing the
annual toll Of food and life.
These are the reasons behind tho
action of the food administration and
the Minnesota College OF Agriculture.
campai0ns Must 30 Cooperative.
A campaign must be widespread to
be effective. One farmer or one mer.
chant cannot rid his premises of rats
II his neighbor harbors rats. A war
against rats must be cooperative. For
this reason, local campaigns are to be
encouraged and it Is suggested that
county agents and county chairmen Of
tho Council of Defense, boy scout d.
rectors, school authorities, CONNER.
cial clubs. school clubs. and similar
organizations organize to exterm1nate
the pest.
Bulletin 40 = Guide.
The College of Agriculture has Just
issued bulletin as guide to those
promoting local campaigns. This bull.
1etin is by F.. L. Washburn. It urges
that prevention 10 the best method.
Prevention can be effected by cover.
ing basement windows Of buildings
with one-fourth inch galvanized
screens aud tho bottom of outside
doors, particularly Of stables and of
markets. groceries, and food ware
houses, with similar wire netting.
Stills Of such buildings may be made
rat proof. Corn cribs may be protect.
cd by raising them at least three feet
from the ground ON posts with project.
ing metal guards over which the rats
cannot climb. Rat-holes may be closed
with cement containing bits Of broken
glass. Breeding places may be broker
up or destroyed by the removal of
rubbish and litter Of all sorts: These
and other methods are recommended
by the bulletin, copies Of which may
be had by addressing Once Of Publ
cations, University Farm, st. Paul.
Traps and PoIsons.
Who're rats are already we'll estab.
lished and doing their vicious thisvins
and germ-spreading, rats may be
trapped or poisoned.
what ID KNOWN a. tho gu1llot10e
trap, made entirely of metal. IN 70.
garded % the best. A largo number
Of traps should be used at once, not
just one or two AZ 10 commonly the
practice. BY using a considerable
number at the outset a big catch ID
more likely than after the rats Learn
to be Suspicious Of anything like q
trap.
Bar1um carbonate (barytes) II rec
commended as = poison because Il acta
slowly and rats which have taken II
with their food leave buildings to "a
in search Of water. This prevents
their dying in buildings and causing
Objectionable odors. Bartyes 1s cheaI
and may be used by mixing it ground
fine with cornmeal, part Of barytel
to 4 parts Of cornmeal with sweet oil
added. It may also be made into 9
stiff dough with oatmeal and water OF
may be spread on buttered bread or OF
fish. Other methods Of poisoning arr
outlined in Mr.. Washburn's bulletin.
Rat-Proof Buildings Needed.
Having made plans for the extermi
nation Of rats, measures should b.
adopted for preventing their return BY
rat-proohng all buildings. This maj
be done by constructing concrete fouu
dations and by the use of wire. mssl
already referred to. Farmsrs' Bulle
tin No. 461, issued by tho Unitet
states Department Of Agriculture; OF
the "Uses Of Concrete on the Farm
tells how to construct such founda
tons. Tarmegs' Bulletin No. SOC, b,
the same department, contains furtha
Information a to rat sxtsrmiuatioa.
Life Of Congress.
Each congress lasts two years ant
under the Constitution must assemble
OF least once each year. Two, regula
sessions are held, both beginning Of
the first Monday in December. Th'
! long session lasts from December O
each odd year until congress adjourns
generally s0ns the following June o
July, and the short session, beginning
In December of each even year, end
at noon on the following March 4. TIL,