The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1918-12-20
Food Administration and College
Of Agriculture Urge Public
to Fight the Pests.
THEY COST STATE I'LL.
100000 A YEAR
Agricultural College Issues a Bulletin
4 as Guide for Local Rat
-s2@ Campaigns. y..-,.. =.

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
Q Agriculture. Z. %s~,
Rats eat about 100000 worth Of
Minnesota foodstuffs every yesr. This
means an annual tax on every resi-
dent OF Minnesota of 81, 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. s.
The figures for the whole United
States are still more striking Rats
cost the United States annually not
less than s20O,00o,O0O,. 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
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 be
encouraged and it IL suggested that
county agents and county ohairmen of
the Council of Defense, boy scout d.
rectors, school authorities, CONNER
cial clubs, schoel CLUBS, and siml!aas
the pest. ~
Bulletin as a 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 is the best method.
Prevention can be effected by covor.
inG basement windows Of buildings
with one-fourth inch galvanized
screens and the bottom Of outside
doors, particularly of stablss and Of
markets, groceries, and food ware
houses. with similar wire netting.
sins Of such buildings may b made
tn proof Corn cribs may 30 protest
seA by raising them at least three feet
from the ground ON posts with project
inG metal guards over which the rat
cannot climb. Rat-holes may b closet
Nth eamAat containing hits OF hEeke.
:1lass BresdfnS pIaeeS may 81 broke:
np or destroyed by the remnsal
rubbish and litter Of All sorts. Thes
and other methods are rsconsnende
III tho bulletin. copies OF which ma
~ had by addressing Once OF Publ
cations, University Farm. st. Paul.
Traps and psIsoas.
Whore rats are already well estab:
1lsAsd and doing their vicious thievins
and serm-spreadfng, rats may be
-trspped or poisoned a.
What is known ~ the guillotine
trap. made entirely Of metal. II re-
gaTded as the best. "A large number
of traps should be used at once, not
lust one or two az is commonly the
practice. BY using a considerable
number at the outset a big catch Is
more likely than after the rats learn
to be suspicious Of anything like q
trap. - H.. ..z1+. a ..' ....~.-
Barium carbonate (barytes) is rec
commended as a poison because 1t acts
slowly and rats which have taken It
with their food leave buildings to go
in search of water. This prevents
their dying in buildings and causing
Objectionable odors Bartyes is cheap
and may be used by mixing 1t ground
fine with cornmeal, part Of barytes
to 4 parts of cornmeal with sweet oil
added. 1t may also be made into q
stiff dough with oatmeal and water or
may be spread on buttered bread or on
fish. Other methods OF poisoning are
outlined in ME-. Washburns bulletin.
Rat-Proof Buildings Needed.
Having made plans for the extermi.
nation of rats, measures should DO
adopted for preventing their return by
rat-proofing all buildings. This may
be done by constructing concrete toun-
dations and by the use of wire mesh
already referred to. Farmers Bulle-
tin No. 4s1, issued by the United
States Department Of Agriculture, on
the Uses of Concrete on the Farm"
tells how to construct such founda-
tfons. Farmers Bulletin No. see, by
the same department, contains furthe;
reformation as to RAT extarm In atian
THE SUGGESTION.