Method of Destroying Rals and Mice. 429 



Several plans were tried for entrapping and poisoning, but our ingenuity 

 fell so far short of their marvellous sagacity, that no sensible impression 

 was made upon their hosts, notwithstanding an unremitting perseverance- 

 However, having declared a w-ar of extermination against the wliole 

 race, I rejoice in being now able to communicate to my agricultural 

 friends in England an easy and certain mode of getting rid of this in- 

 tolerable nuisance. A little manoeuvring may be judiciously used to 

 attract the enemy to a suitable position — suppose any unoccupied room 

 in an outhouse, where they particularly abound. Here they should be 

 fed with any favourite food — fish or malt I beheve they are fond of — 

 and then with, not a preparation of arsenic, which they are much too 

 clever to touch, but pills, the size of peas, made of equal portions of 

 wheaten flour and powdered sugar, intimately mixed with one-sixtieth 

 part of that weight of dissolved phosphorus — say ^ oz. phosphorus to 1 lb. 

 of flour and sugar; cold water should be added to make the mass 

 manageable, and the pills finally rolled in dry flour, and kept secluded 

 from light and air. A couple of pills may be thrown into each rat-hole, 

 or any quantity left on a plate in a dark situation, by Avhich the double 

 object is attained of attracting the animals by the luminousness of the 

 phosphorus and preserving it from too rapid evaporation. The pills 

 should be replaced as often as eaten, and that without grudging, as, 

 although all the slain may not be found, it may be relied on that " every 

 bullet has had its billet." Still, in a day or two, many rats will be seen 

 running to water, where they die from excessive drinking. No domestic 

 animal appears to be in danger of eating this preparation except fowls. 

 Dry weather is most favourable to its successful application, as damp, 

 whether of situation or atmosphere, dissolves, and consequently weakens, 

 the phosphorus. 



Tilschenheck, Duchy of Lauenburg, 

 30th August, 1842. 



Note. — It should be ascertained that this preparation of phosphorus never tak§s 

 fire spontaneously. — Ph. Pusey. 



VIII. — On the Use of Lime. By Joseph Syeray. 



When a tenant enters on a farm, if he uses lime, I would advise him to 

 fetch his lime from different kilns, and lay it down in cart-loads on his 

 fallows ; when fallen, spread it over the land, then sow the wheat, taking 

 notice of the respective spots on which the difiPerent limes were placed, 

 and adopting afterwards that lime which acts most beneficially on the 

 wheat. The quantity used by me is from 60 to 80 horse-loads per 

 acre, a horse-load weighing 2^ cwt. Some of my neighbours suppose 

 that I put too much lime on my land ; but six years back I put on 4 

 acres of summer fallow^ 80 loads per acre, an acre being left without ; 

 I then burned a kilnfull of lime to finish the 5 acres, which kiln holds 

 100 loads ; I then directed my servant to lay the same quantity on the 



