Arizona republican., 1921-09-26
Rx Erederic J. Haskin

By Frederic J. Haskin
 WASHINGTON, D. C., Sept. 22.-It has recently been demonstrated in two quarters that the government of the United States is more than a match for rats and mice.
 This is no slight compliment. Gen. orally speaking, the rats and mice have the run of the earth and live on the bounty of man despite all he can do to prevent it. The facts about the damage done by rats and mice, and the rate at which they in crease, as ascertained by the learned professors of the Biological Survey, have been published before, but 1t Is necessary here to state them again so that you will be sure to appreciate the importance of this subject Be it known then that rats and mice in this country every year destroy prop erty valued at s20o, 100000 and that an army of 200, 900 men may be con sidered as employed solely in sup porting these little household and garden pests. The common brown rat breeds six to ten times a year and a pair of rats in three years would have 359, ,70e,4S2 descendants if all the children lived and did, well. The wonder is that there is room on earth for anything except rats
  that several parts of its premises in and about Washington were rapidly approaching a condition in which the rats were the main thing and the governmental activities incidental and somewhat unprosperous. The most conspicuous of these places was the national zoo. There were a great many more rats in the zoo than all other animals combined, and the rats probably ate a great deal more of the expensive food doled out than did all the other inmates. Visitors in the zoo could see rats at any time, and in the evening they could ob- serve them extensively. The rats frolicked about the walks in large family parties, going from one en- closure to another, sampling the diff ferent kinds of food. They paid no attention at all to the visitors, and : if a rock was thrown at them they registered resentment rather than fright.
 Zoos Homes for Rats
 All zoos are wont to be rat-infest- ed, and it should be said that the Washington zoo was not as bad as most of them. but it was bad enough The trouble with killing rats in zoo is that if poison is used, other ani- mals are sure to eat it, while with traps there is more or less danger to them. In the Washington zoo the trouble is increased by the fact that squirrels, rabbits, guinea fowls and turkeys roam the grounds at large.
 The zoo officials therefore let the rats more or less alone, but after 8 while the zoo became inadequate foi their support and they began invad- ing the residences which fringe it or all sides. The residents raised g howl of protest. They demanded that the government either keep it's rats at home or kill them. The Biologica Survey, which has a corps of scien- tific experts in the extermination o all kinds of preda tory animals, Wal called into consultation and maj was detailed to the zoo problem H | solved it by the use of spring traps | The zoo rat colony, it is learned. ha l been greatly reduced and it is conf dently expected that it will be abol | ished.
 | The destruction of rats and mic on a large scale is a problem for ex l perts. The biological survey is will ing to give advice on the subject an those who are losing money throug | the work of rats should consult i Traps must be used in some place
 and poison in others, while in ye others at-proofing is the only ef fective measure. All of these thing must be done right to be effective Dr. Fowler, the public health off cer of Washington, has issued spe cial warning against the careless us of poison. Children and domestic ani mals are endangered by it unless | is used with the utmost skill an l care
 After cleaning up the zoo. the gov ernment ratters turned their atten tion to the St. Elizabeth hospital fo the insane which swarmed with rat even more than did the zoo. Verita able herds of them could be seen O the grounds in broad daylight. It
 said that in this place, too goo
 progress is being made in the wor
 ~f extermination.
 Rats Killed Trees
 The governments most distressin
 rat problem, however. is now bein
 met on the experimental farm at Ar lington, Va. This rich tract of Ian
 which was formerly the estate
 General Robert F. Lee. is now use by the department of agriculture fc