Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-08
RAT DESTRUCTION
/ TOPIC OF BULLETIN
Public Health Service Gives
Advice to Cities as Well
as individuals.


Methods of destroying and proofng
against rats are outlined in literature
prepared by the United States public
health service for use by state and
municipal health officers over the
country in the campaign which they
have been asked by Surgeon General
Cumming to inaugurate in order to
protect the nation against bubonic
plague. The activity of the health
service results from the appearance
of the plague in Mexican and Amer
lean gulf ports and at points in the
Mediterranean.
Rat destruction" says the health
service bulletin, "can be accomplished
by individual effort to limited de-
gree, but to be successful in a large
city there must be rat-proofing of
buildings. No spasmodic or individ-
ual efforts will result in the desired
end.
Rats can be destroyed by trapping,
by poisoning and by using natural
enemies. such as certain breeds of
cats and dogs. To insure the success
of these measures it is necessary TO
Curtail the rat food supply by properly
dsposing of garbage and table refuse
and by preventing rats from gaming
access to such foods as is contained
in pantries. groceries, markets, sta
bles and the like.
Attention to Traps
success in trapping is proportional
to the attention and industry the
trapper devotes to his traps and pro-
lection of other food supplies. Two
kinds of traps are generally used
the wire-cage trap and the snap trap
or deadfall The trap should De
nIaced wherever rats have been ac-
customed to come for feeding pur-
poses and should be more or less
concealed, the snap trap by scattering
dust, cornmeal or flour on or about
fYay nlecPS
sacking. straw or rubbish, leaving
only the opening Tree
Highly savored articles, such as
cheese and toasted bacon, VIII more
quickly attract rats than will food
without odor but the idea that rat
can be enticed into trap by the
employment of bait more appetlZlng
to him than the surrounding 1000
supply is fallacious To the rat 1000
supply is question of avallablilty,
and preference is a secondary consid-
Grafton.
1.-THE destruction of rats by poison has
always been more or less in FAVOR "A
preparation of arsenious acid or phos-
phorus, 10 per cent, and suitable base
as cheese, meat or glucose, are the most
popular poisons. Poisons undoubtedly
have a certain efficiency in Kidding a
place of rats. but whether by causing
their migration or their actual deStruc-
ton is somewhat difficult of determine
ton.
..Ratproofing excludes rats from the
food supply and deprives them OF har-
borage. Without this procedure it is
almost impossible to reduce the rodent
population.
RatprOOfing Cellars.
"In ratproofing any building. the follow
ing parts have to be considered: Ground
area, walls. ceilings, garnet, roof, bed
spaces in general, ventilatorS, abandon
ed sewers, doors, windows, outside pip
ing, water and sewerage pipes, down
spouts, wiring and air or light shafts.
BY the omission of some small detail
an otherwise ratproof structure may be-
come badly rat-infeSted.
THE ratproofing of floors of buildings
is secured either by elevation of the
structure with the underpinning opening
free or by marginal walls of concrete,
stone or brick laid in cement mortar
sunk two feet in the ground, fitting flush
with the floor above. The wall must fit
tightly to the flooring.
Food depots are the greater impor-
lance in ratproofing because they fur
nish both sustenance and shelter for
rats. In this class of buildings are
stables. meat markets, retail and whole
sale groceries, bakeries, warehouses,
docks and wharves. These places are
best ratproofed as to the ground areas
by the construction of concrete floors
and foundation walls Untenanted as
they are at night time rats might well
enter doorwayS or windows carelessly
left open or be introduced concealed in
the merchandise and gnawing through
plank flooring obtain well protected hid
ing and breeding places.
Should Avoid Dead Space.
Double walls with dead space be-
tween should be avoided, or if used.
should be ratproofed at top and bot
tom with heavy wooden timbers, four
-by-four joists or by a concrete fill
Attics should be well opened and kept
nj @tl
rats
Double ceiling should be avoided,
especially SO in easements Boxed-in
structures, such as uprights and
roughly finished dwellings,, plumbing,
kitchen sinks and the like should be
removed. Miscellaneous openings as
light shafts, ventilators and windows
should be screened preferably by
twelVe-gauge wire screen with mesh
not exceeding one-half inch The
grounds about the buildings are to
be devoid of rat harborage and prem
ises are to be kept clean and free
of rubbish
In seaport cities. where the rare
species of the brown rat and alex
andrian" rat prevail, health officials
are asked to make surveys to deter
mine the presence or absence of ro-
dent plague
How to eliminate the more common
species. including the Norway" rat.
barn rat, sewer rat, gray or wharf
rat, is described as follows:
BY starving him, through the use
of ratproof receptacles for food, and
covered metal garbage cans
By depriving him of breeding places.
through the abolition of planked
yards and passageways.
By refusing him admission to the
comfort of your buildings, through
ratproof construction and screened
basement openings.
~ killing him at every opportunity
by demanding city anti-rat ordi-