The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-02
REASONS FOR MAR
TO ERADICATE RAT

How do you lik. to give UP one-half
OF one cent every day for the support
end sustenance of measly brown
rat?. asks the public health service.
In substance this Is exactly what.
you are doing. according to hgures'
complied by the United States pubic
health service, following a careful
study in cities where the service has
E.ade a survey.
There is one rat, at least, for every
person In the United States. This
eatimats LIS considered conservative,
hut comedies with that for Great
Britain and Ireland and also with
authoritative figures for Denmark.
france and Germany. The annual
upkeep per rodent was computed by
the same authorities as $50 in
Great Britain, $3.50 in Denmark and
400 in France The depredations in
this country wit very probably ex-
coed the estimate for Great Britain.
One-half a. cent a day is considered
conservative, but even on this COM
pctation II costs the United States
t160,000, 900 a year to support it's rat
population (This does not include
4 ice).
1t Is because Of this terrific econo-
mic loss and the additional fact that
public health, that the public health
service has issued a warning to the
country to take the necessary
measures to destroy them. In
new bulletin, The Rat. very con-
sincing arguments are advanced as
70 why snd how the rodent should
be destroyed
There are just three kinds Of rats
in this country included in the sur
~.
the black ra. and "Aiexandrian'' rat,
The Norway" rat larger. more ferb-
c.ous and antagonistic than the other
two, has pretty generally. killed them
Ell and today the black rat and
"Alexandrian" rat are seldom found
except in seaports.
Not so the brown. or Norway"
rat Since he discovered America he
has literally hlazed trail across the
continent and taken possession of 1t
as he went along. Today II Is con-
servativcly estimated there is at least
one rat for every dweller in the cities
end that on the farm there Is at least
three rats for every person on the
estate.
None OF these rats are native TO the
United States. : The black rat, which
Is now regarded a. visitor TO our
seaports, came 20 America long be-
the Sixteenth century. He thriyed
until about the time of the American
revolution when the Norway" rat
was first observed. The latter's ar
rival wae generally followed by the
disappearance of the black rat, which
is about the 10y good the Norway"
rat ever accomplished. The black rat
generally is considered more danger
GUS to the public health since 1t in
habits dwellings more often than its
brown brother and comes in closer
contact with man.
This does not mean. however. that
the brown. or Norway" rat Is not
dangerous. His destruction has been
necessary before plague could he
controlled In the few instances of Its
outbreak in America, Also he is
very probably responsible for the
greatest amount of destruction.
by preference he is a turnover and
usually lives in excavations, gener-
ally from one-half 70 a foot in depth.
nc is TOO cunning and resonrceful to
limit himself to this monotony of exis-
tence. however. He has been known
&C eat his way through q solid brick
wall piece OF slate. or led pipe.
With cunning found In very few ami
-ials he adapts himself 10 almost
auy condition or situation in life.
when living In swampy regions he
very quickly becomes semiaquatic
ard can swim ong distances. He
Fan climb ropes. or trees.
The Norway rat will cat any
thing while the black rat is more
seieSt and prefers grain. or clean
feed. Because the rat is nocturnal
ir its habits its depredauons very
frequently are NOT noticed.
There are some very well anthem
a
insight into the cost of their up
keep. In Al snip reaching an ameri-
ran port from Brazil with 10000
hags OF coffee ri was2 found that
$4,000 bags had been so badly dam
aged as to require resacking. The
rest OF this in material and labor
xas $4,000. exclusive OF the loss OF
coffee and the damage adjustment
with the shippers. The number OF
rats on this ship was ascertained TO
be about 200.
On a certain Iowa farm rats In one
vinter destroyed 500 bushels of corn.
or one-fourth OF the farmers entire
uop. Another farmer lost an entire
summers Matching OF chickens and
still another farmer in this section
estimated his loss in grain and poultry
due to rats as suficRnt to pay his
taxes for three years.
Many measures are suggested for
destroying the rat, but the public
health service advocates one primarily
III most effective. It Is ratproofing
the buildings so that rats cannot get
b, to get food. thereby starving them
10 death. Copies OF the new govern
ment bulletin can be obtained by
writing to the u. s. public health SER
vice, Washington. p. c., or to Director
f.. c. Levy. department of public
Welfare. City Hall. Richmond
Aaau aenAn n 4 mama