Wiarus. (Winona, Minn.) 1895-1919, 1918-12-27
4 STATE WIDE
WAR ON RATS.
Food Administration and College
OF Agriculture Urge Public
to Fight the Pests.
THEY COST STATE
100000 A YEAR
Agricultural College Issues q Bulletin
20 Guide for Local Rat
Campaigns.

Agricultural College Issues 4 Bulletin
40 Guide for Local Rat
Campaigns.
A campaign to rid Minnesota of rats
has been begun by the federal food
administration for Minnesota and tho
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 g., for which
there ts absolutely no return. Be-
sides, rats are carriers of disease and
there is no telling to what extent they
increase the burdens OF tho people in
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 5000, 900, 900, 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
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 the
action of the food administration and
the Minnesota College of Agriculture.
Campaigns Must Be Cooperative.
A campaign must be widespread to
)e 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 be
encouraged and it is suggested that
county agents and county chairmen of
the Council Of Defense, boy scout d.
rectors, school authorities, CONNER
ctal clubs, school clubs, and similar
organizations organize to exterminate
the pest.
Bulletin as a Guide.
The College of Agriculture has just
issued a bulletin as a guide to those
promoting local campaigns. This bull
letin is by F. l.. Washburn. 1t urges
that prevention is 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
ed 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 ri recommended
by the bulletin, copies Of which may
be had by addressing Office Of Publ
cations, University Farm, st. Paul. Z
Traps and Poisons.
Where rats. are already we'll estab-
lished and doing their vicious thieving
Ind germ,spreading, rats may be
trapped or poisoned.
What is known ~ the guillotins
trap, made entirely Of metal. II re-
garded as the best. A large number
Of traps should. DO used at once. not
Just n Or two as Is commonly the
practice. BY using q considerable
number 1T the outset q big catch 10
more likely than after the rats learn
to be Suspicious Of anything like .
trap.
Barium carbonate (barytes) II rec
commended as . poison because It acts
slowly and rats which have taken Il
with their food leave buildings to 80
in search Of water. This prevents
their dying. in buildings and causing
Objectionable odors. Bartyes is cheap
and may be used by mixing It ground
fine with cornmeal. l part Of barytes
to 4 parts Of cornmeal with sweet oil
added. It may also be made into .
stin. dough with oatmeal and water OF
nay be spread on buttered bread or on
Ash. Other methods Of poisoning are
outlined in Mr.. Washburn's: bulletin.
Rat-Proof Buildings Needed.
Hating made plans for the extermi.
ration Of rats, measures should be
adopted for preventing their return by
a%t-proofing all buildings. This may
be done by constructing concrete foun
dations and by the use of wire mesh
already referred to. Farmers Bulle
| tin No: 4sl, issued. by the United
States Department of Agriculture, or
t:he uses of Concrete on the Farm
tells how to construct such founda
ions. Farmers. Bulletin No. 896, BY
,1e same department, contains furthsl
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