HANDY THINGS ABOUT THE FARM. 



433 



should be rubbed with earth so as to make it look dark like the 

 outside of the log, as if it was left fresh and white it would be 

 likely to excite suspicion. 



Every farmer who has tried holding a hog to ring or snout 

 knows how difficult it is 

 to keep them still, so that 

 the operation can be well 

 performed. By using a 

 noose, as shown in Fig. 

 90, the pig will hold 

 himself. Often the noose 

 can be worked into his 



Fid. 90. RINGING A HOG. 



mouth when he is eating without catching him at all ; but when 

 caught, he at once begins to squeal and opens his mouth, when 

 the noose . can be passed round his upper jaw, and he at once 

 pulls back and tightens it. 



The losses to the farmer from the depre- 

 dations of rats are enormous, and sometimes 

 a single rat that develops a taste for young 

 chickens may do several dollars worth of 

 damage. A rat can usually be caught in a 

 steel trap, by setting boards on edge so as to 

 narrow to three inches, the point through 

 which he must pass and covering the trap 

 PIS. GL-A BAT TRAP, with bran or sawdust. Fig. 91 shows a trap 

 by means of which a large number of rats may be caught. 

 The top of the trap is hung with a pivot, the upper side 

 being heavy enough so as to remain closed, but so nearly 

 balanced that the weight of a rat on the other side will tip it. 

 It will be best to fasten the drop and feed the rats for a few 

 nights on top of the trap before setting it. Bait with toasted 

 cheese. Put six inches of water in the bottom of the trap and 

 place in it a piece of board three inches wide and six long. 

 This will hold one rat, but if two or more get in they will fight 

 for possession of the block and drown each other. This trap can 

 be made of the half of a barrel, and the top can be laid over it 

 with the trap-door or pit-fall in the center. 



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