Evening star., 1923-04-26
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

oh, 'rats! Every rat costs Sc . year
for. board, and there are millions Of
thsm. in the United, States. Not only
are they expsnsive, but they are dan
gerous. to health and dangerous to
property. They gnaw matches and
cause fires. They carry disease germs
which bring death to humans. They
are pests without one redeeming
trait.
The story is familiar which tells
that. but for numerous maiden ladies
who maintain pet cats which kill
field mice. which eat humble bees,
which sip honey from clover bios
SONS and thereby carry pollen into
the clover blossoms. which pollen fer
tilizes the blooms which reproduce
clover seed. which increases the crop for
future years-well, bless the ladies',
there arc not enough of them.
But for what there are of them
there would not be so much clover.
fore less Ice cream and butter and
milk. Without the milk what would
become of all of the babies?
X x y x.
In the lack of enough maiden ladies
and their cats to kill the rats and
mice. Virginia has resorted to barium
carbonate. and the state, through its
Polytechnic Institute. in corporation
with the biological survey of the
Department OF Agriculture. distrib-
uted 44.1ss pounds Of the rat poison.
Schools. banks and farmers coop
Grated.
Prizes were offered for the most
rat tails. and at the end of one week
1855 tails were brought in. That
is eight miles of tails--the longest
serial ever run. But that is not the
end of our tale, for the producing Of
the tails might not be "the best evil
dence," as the lawyers say.
A lizard. fleeing from pursuit. can
be grabbed by his tail just as he is
In that case he would shed his tail
and proceed to grow another in due
time. Can Virginia rat be bluffed
by mere lizard?
Nor do the 1855 tails measure the
awful slaughter of one week. The
scientists tell US that the mortality
was 67o.ss3 rats. That saves an annual
board bill Of s1.334,54121. not count
ing the inevitable increase of the
progeny of the 670,s93 rats. (The ex-
perts figures are not accurate. so
there must have been some mice in
cluded.)
Since three housefies so increase
that in one season they weigh tons.
what is the increase of $4,000 fam
lies of rats? Three housefies at a
horse in three months: how many
whales and elephants will the Vir-
ginla rats consume?
The barium carbonate cost s7,44479
ana was the best investment since
Col. Sellers dav. It was only about
at a dollar apiece, since that would
represent only six months board.
Representative Martin L. Davey. the
tree dentist" urges Congress to
further the cause of reforestation by
removing all taxes on growing tim
latures to do likewise. This would
tend to encourage farmers TO repIant
their cut-over land There are now
81.O00.000 acres Of waste cut-over, or
burned-over land, which is useless for
agricultural purposes. and should be
IL.
ers hesitate to start forestation from
which the present generation cannot
hope to harvest
!: x x
Then. in. order to curb the cutting
of, for ests, Mr.. Dasey urges that a
tax be put upon all timber when il
is cut for lumber. The proceeds of
such timber tax he would have the
government use in reforestation,
especially of the heads of streams,
so IS to protect the springs.
Perhaps the supreme Importance Of
protecting the headwaters of rivers
is exaggerated. for the volume which
makes up a river does not come from
the little spring which is designated
as its source" II is mainly the
drainage Of the country through
which the river flows, together with
the drainage of the land OF its tribu-
taries. 1t would be futile, for ex-
ample, to plant a forest around Lake
Itasca, in upper Minnesota. and as
sumo that that would provide the
vast flow Of water which fills the
Mi ississippi at st. Louis and down to
New Orleans, on which ocean liners
may float.
All authorities agree that unless
some drastic action be taken prompt