The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-22
Frederick Haskin's Letter
The Goverrment Fights Rats.
lsrecisl correspondenee Of The Argas.

! Washington, D. c., Sept al
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
Generally 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 al
which they increase, as aseertained
! by the learned professors of the
/ biological survey. have been pub
lished before, but it 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 de-
stroy property valued at $500 ,00O,-
900 and that an army of zoe, 900
men may be considered as employ
ed solely in supporting 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 should have
359, 709,4S2 descendants if all the
children lived and did we'll. The
wonder. is that there is room on
earth for anything except rats.
The government recently found
that several parts of its premises
in and about Washington were rap
idly approaching condition in
which the rats were the main thing
and the governmental activities in
cidental and somewhat unprosper-
Gus. The most conspicuous of
these places was the National zoo
There were a great many more
rats in the zoo than all other ami
mails combined, and the rats prob
ably 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 OBJ
serve them extensively. The rats
frolicked about the walks in large
family parties, going from one en-
closure to another sampling the
different 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 Home for Rats.
All ZOOS are wont to be rat-in- ,
tested, and it should be said that |
the Washington zoo was not as bad;
as most of them. but it was bad i
enough. The trouble with killing
rats in a zoo is. that If poison is .
used. other animals are sure to eat !
it, while with traps there is more
Dr. less danger to them. In the
Wa shington zoo the trouble is in
cTeased by. the fact that squirrels,
'abbits, guinea fowls and turkeys
'oam the grounds at large
The zoo officials. therefore, let Il
he rats more or less alone, but !
ifter a while the zoo became in
tdeauate for their support and
hey began invading the residences ;
hat fringe it on all sides. The /
esidents raised a howl of protest |
they demanded that the govern {
nent either keen its rats at home
r kill them. The biological sur I
ey, which has a corps of scien- t
ific experts in the determination s
f all kinds of predatory animals, I
vas called into consultation and {
nan was detailed to the zoo prob 6
en-. He solved it by the use of S
pring traps. The zoo rat colony, I 7
is learned. has been greatly re- c
uced and it is confidently expect I
d that it will be abolished S
The destruction of rats and mice t
n large scale is a problem fos T
xperts. The biological survey is r
-illing TO give advice on the sub t
,ct. and those who are losing mon c
= through the work of rats should f