The Washington times., 1918-12-29
French
Army
Rateateher
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were taken to destroy the rats, but with
very poor success; and Il is shown that
this was due to q lack Of knowledge Of
the natural history Of the animals con-
cerned.
"As ordinary brown and black rats viii
not breed In captivity. most Of our knowl-
edge as 10 their rate Of reproduction Is
derived from observations on the aIbino
variety. which breeds readily in captivity.
The period Of CESSATION IL twenty-One days,
and the minimum time between two litters
from the same female is sixty-two days
She may have as many as FIVE litters in a
year. litter consists OF about ten A
female at the age OF two and q half to
three months IL capable Of producing a
litter. The young are very efficiently
tended, so that scarcely any die.
Reproduction ceases during cold
weather. and rats can not reproduce them
selves at all In cold climates. In temper
ate climates reproduction IL at a standstill
during the Winter. The most important
factor limiting reproduction Is, however,
the supply Of nntriment. female receiv-
ing only sufficient food to keep her In good
condition does not reproduce at all. where
as with superabundance Of food reproduc-
ton phOceeds at its maximum rate"
In view of these facts. one is more easily
q
the rat has been so little successful up to
now, The animal has until recently got
the better Of US very decidedly. But in
this warfare science has at last taken the
1eld, and we are beginning for the first
time to know how we can defeat the TO-
dent enemy.
Nothing could be more simple. In the
main. 1t Is merely a question OF cutting
on the rats food supply. The tightly COW
cred garbage can tnow required In most
Of our cities) is a not-unimportant means.
Remnants Of food in households must not
be left about. AS some wise person has
said. He who sows food scraps will reap
a rat harvest"
Any dwelling house or other building
can be made ratproof at small expense BY
cOncreting the basement and area walls
and screening or otherwise stopping every
hole through which a rat might enter.
The animals are thus deprived Of harbor-
age, Even though there be rats on the
premises, the household supplies may al
ways be kept safe from them In ratproof
containers covered with wire net.
But there Is no excuse for rats in the
house. 1t is so easy to get rid, and to keep
rid, Of them. Don't ofer them food; don't
furnish them with hiding places II hun
cry they will eat poisoned bait or may be
trapped; but In either case the bait should
be high-aavored (such as toasted cheese
or bits OF fried bacOn). and should be of
kind different from any provender they
can obtain in the neighborhood. The best
traps are Of the "guillotine" pattern, with
a wire fall released by a baited trigger.
The ratprOofing of a city is hardly more
than an expression of the method adopted
for the protection Of a house II neces-
serily embraces the treatment Of sewers,
which afford admirable runways for the
rodent pests, with supplies Of waste to
furnish provender. The sewers of Paris
have always been famous for their hordes
OF rats, which in the days Of the siege Of
that city by the Germans, in 1871, proved
actually useful, furnishing the poor With
a meat supply.