Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1918-12-26
A STATE WIDE
WAR ON RATS
Food Administration and College
of Agriculture Urge Public
to Fight the Pests
THEY COST STATE
So, 100000, A YEAR
College tissues Q Bulletin
as Guide for Local Rat
Campaigns.

Campaigns.
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 100000 worth of
Minnesota foodstuffs every year. This
means an annual tax on every resi-
dent of Minnesota Of s.. for which
there is absolutely no return. Be-
sides, rats are carriers of disease and
there is no telling to what extent they
increase the burdens of the people In
this respect
What Rats Cost the U. 8.
The figures for the whole United
States are still more striking. Rats
cost the United States annually not
less than $20O,0oO,OOO to say nothing
Of disease spread by them.
Rats eat valuable foodstuffs; they
cause disastrous fires; they spread
bubonic plague. trichinosis, 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
Of insect pests; they destroy fruits
and vegetables, and they multiply with
tremendous rapidity, Increasing the
annual toll Of food and life
These are tho reasons behind the
action OF the food administration and
the Minnesota College Of Agriculture.
Campaigns Must Be Cooperative.
A campaign must Do widespread to
be effective One farmer or one mer-
chant cannot rid his premises Of rats
If his neighbor harbors rats A war
| against rats must be cooperative. For
this reason, local campaigns are to b
encouraged and 1t 10 suggested that
county agents and county chairmen Of
the Council Of Defense. boy scout di.
rectors, school authorities, CONNER
cial clubs. school clubs, and similar
organizations organize to exterminats
the pest.
| Bulletin az Z Guide.
The College of Agriculture has Just
issued a bulletin as q guide to those
| promoting local campaigns. This bull.
| letin is by +. l.. Washburn. 1t urges
| that prevention IL the best method,
Prevention can be effected by cover.
ing basement windows of buildings
with One-fourth inch galvanized
screens and the 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 broken
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 Office of Publ,
cations, University Farm. St. Paul.
Traps and Poisons.
Where rats are already we'll astab.
lished and doing their vicious thievins
and germ-spreading, rats may be
trapped or poisoned
| What 10 known - the guillotino
trap made entirely of metal, is re-
garded as the best. large number
of traps should be used at once. not
| just one or two as Is commonly the
practice. BY using q considerable
number at the outset q big catch Is
more likely than after the rats learn
to be suspicious Of anything like .
| trap.
aarium carbonate (barytes) is rec.
commended as a poison because 1t acts
slowly and rats which have taken It
with their food leave buildings to 60
in search of water. This prevents
their dying in buildings and causing
objectionable odors. Bartyes 10 cheap
and may be used by mixing it ground
ane with cornmeal, l part of barytes
to parts OF cornmeal with sweet oil
added, 1t may also be made into .
stin dough with oatmeal and water or
may be spread On battered bread or on
flsh Other methods of poisoning are
outlined in Mr.. Washburn's bulletin.
Rat-Proof eui,dlngs Needed.
Having made plans for the extermi.
nation OF rats. measures should be
adopted for preventing their return by
rat-prooflng all buildings. This may
be done by const, ucting concrete foun
dations and by the use OF wire mesh
already referred to. Farmers' Bulle-
tin No. 46l. issued by the United
States Department Of Agriculture. on
the Uses Of Concrete On the Farm
tells how to construct such founda.
tons. Farmers Bulletin No. SOS. by
the same department, ccntains furtheg
information as to rat determinations.
2,571 ON CASUALTY LIST