MAMMALIA 



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A common method is to build the house on tall posts that are either 

 belted with metal or have a large inverted pan at the top of each post; 

 to be effective the floor should, in this case, be at least 3 feet from 

 the ground. In any case it is obviously important never to leave the 

 door of the crib open and never to lean lumber or farm implements 

 against the walls by means of which rats may climb over the screening. 

 Some farmers prefer to completely cover the crib with wire netting, 

 others to make the wall entirely of concrete, except openings for ventila- 

 tion. Probably no farmer who has once had a rodent-proof corn crib 

 ever cares to be without this means of protecting his corn. In some 



i 



PIG. 150. Perspective of rat-proof corn crib, showing concrete foundation by 

 dotted lines; also the belt of metal to keep rats from climbing up the sides. (From 

 Lantz, House Rats and Mice.) 



cases the cost of proofing will be saved in a single year. On almost 

 every farm there are old out-houses, piles of lumber and trash, and 

 many other places that furnish harbors for rats; these should be 

 destroyed or cleaned up. 



For those who rent houses that are not rat-proof there are number- 

 less schemes for protecting edible goods from rats and mice, largely by 

 the use of tin and screens and by elevation above the floor. Entire 

 rooms are often lined with wire netting as a place to store easily dam- 

 aged goods. Foods preserved in tin and glass are, of course, safe from 

 rodents. 



While, as has been said, it is much better to keep rats away from 



