Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-02-14
Rats Multiply and Grow Fat

| ASAt5 NAuALlp1s 0IOW hb
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13-The
modern Pied Piper. ]. L. Nicholesr
was in town the other day, and he
brought the sad news that rats are
on the increase. Even with all the
rat killing campaigns and with
| the interest of the public aroused,
these pests are dourishing. Rats are
being killed by the millions. but the
surviving mothers, sisters and cous-
ins and aunts energetically offset
the tribal losses by building up new
land widening family circles.
Mr.. Nicholes is not a gloom dis
penser. For seven years he has
conducted rat killing campaigns
He has swatted the rat cheerfuly
THAT last year he rid the county o1
100000 rats by government coun:
But the outlook is that, theoretjc3l- l.
ly. if the rat population increases
foi the next 100 years as 1t has in
the last fifteen years, the rat will
| destroy the human race.
rats in the United States destroyed
$4,000. 900 worth of food and other
property. In 1916 the amOJnt WIS
$1SC 100000: in 1919, 100000, 900,
and this year rats are expected 70
do $1,000. 100000 worth OF damage.
And that is not the worst of rats
as pests. They are among the most
efficient disease carriers that we
have They have taken buDonic
plague all over the world. Their
connection with typhoid, scarlet fe.
yer diphther1a, meningitis apd tu-
berculosis is also being investigated.
Raes are flea-infested creatures and
| that alone makes them both dirty
and dangerous. They are pests to
be attacked relentlessly.
THIS modern Pied Piper has 70
Ipipe and he has never tried charm
ing rats with music. But he has
studied rat character and intelIi-
gence and he applies his knowt.
edge to bring about the rats down
! fall. After hearing Mr. Nicholes talk
about their cleverness it seems like
ly that rats have changed since tire
Hamelin town Pied Piper story. The
rats of 1884 p1ver hesitated in fo.-
lowing the nj. .gic tune, we are told.
But you cannot help tancying that
the 1928 rat would merely have
smiled impudently at the Piper and
have wrapped his tail securely about
his ears to shut out the dangerous
notes
Mr.. Nicholes says that rats dis
tinguish between different colors.
If bait is put on a number of pa
pers, some red. some white. ard
some blue, the rats will eat the
food on one kind of paper and
will avoid the other colors. Pre-
sumably they try one type OF food
and If that seems satisfactory they
continue to eat 1t as long as 1t lasts.
If they try the bait on blue paper
arc like that they will ignore the
red and white paper and eat only
off the blue.
Most Cunning of Animals
Rats are the most cunning AMI
T s,s,, Mr.. NIcholeq says. He tells
Of a case in which basement was
oVcrrun with rats who were almost
tame One day a trap was set IN
the basement. A rat ran along the
floor directly toward the trap. Sud
denly he saw the danger and tried
to stop so quickly that he slid On
his launches and caught himself
only a few inches from the tran
door. He scampered away hastily
and evidently spread the exciting
news of the trap for no more rats
came out all afternoon.
! That rodents warn one another OF
danger is further shown by Mr..
Nichoies in story OF Lexington
Market. Several years ago Mr.. Mich
oles conducted a rat killing cam
paign in Baltimore and cleared this
market of 1900 rats For a year
which is about six rat generations,
there were no more rats in the mar
| ket It may be that the survivors
told all of their friends about the
terrible massacre of thu market
place After that the fear wore OF
or else the tradition became lost
fol the market had to be cleaned
ont again not long ago
However. the news OF danger ID
spread, Il ls evident that rats do
possess q degree of intelligence
which helps them to avoid danger
lThev are anything but gullible, and
this makes the problem of destroy
ling them the more troublesome
fThey quite often avoid traps. Pre-
datory animals, such as cats and
Iferrets, cannot as a rule be used "a
kin them OFF in large numbers
lPolsou carefully and properly used
u the mos s6sStigA raaana ri Aia'