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 FIRE PROTECTION ON FRUIT FAPJ-IS 



The recent destruction of several large Cold Storages by fire raises the 

 question as to what can be done to prevent the repetition of such losses. In 

 talking to Stacy Gay of Three Rivers recently, I discovered that he was very much 

 interested in this question. In his or.m storage he has one small carbon tetra- 

 chloride fire extinguisher which holds perhaps two or three quarts of liquid. Such 

 a small capacity extinguisher would probably be useful if one were right on the job 

 when the fire started. But usually fires don't start at such opportune times. 



Since an orchard sprayer is an excellent piece of fire fighting equipment, 

 the question was raised as to how a sprayer could be fixed so that it could be used 

 during freezing weather. Seldom is there heat enough in storage or outbuildings 

 to prevent v;ater from freezing. Therefore, the question is, what could be added 

 to the water in a spray tank to prevent it from freezing so that it v/ill alv/ays be 

 ready for use when needed. The material must be non-inflammable, non-corrosive to 

 the metal tank or pump, it must be cheap, if used around electrical equipment must 

 be a non-conductor, and must be readily available. Also, v;hat can be done to keep 

 the engine and pump in condition for instant use? For example, how can the pipes 

 in the pump be kept from drying out? 



Until very recently our storage on the hill had nothing but the conventional 

 acid and soda tjrpe extinguisher which v/ould be very dangerous for the operator to 

 use around any electrical equipment, I wonder hov/ many fruit growers are aware of 

 this danger and havo provided themselves with t;ypes'of fire extinguishers contain- 

 ing carbon tetrachloride or carbon dioxide to use around electrical equipment, 



 ■.>••'. •  , J, S. Bailoy 



RAT COIjTRQL — A YEAR ROmfP JOB 



Rats never take vacations. They nay raise 6 or more litters per year with 

 from 6 to 22 in a litter. Ignoring the death rate, the progeny from one pair of 

 rats could exceed 350,000,000 in 3 years. 



Hence rat control must be a continuous job. "Rat-control weeks" are entirely 

 ineffective against the continuous activities of rats, unless they arc followed 

 by a year-round program of rat killing. Once rat numb^rt arc reduced in a 

 community thoy can be kept down at little cost by "maintcnsince control". If 

 regular control is neglected during the year, rats will rapidly increase, until 

 they require another intensive and expensive rat-control v.Gek. Costs aro decreased 

 and losses of grain are miniuizod whon each farmer, miller, and householder makes 

 rat control a part of his regula,r chores, 



Pre-baiting is still one of the most important steps in rat poisoning. No 

 one can tell you very accurately ho\i many rats you are feeding on your farm or in 

 your tovm. The chances are thr.t you aro host to many more rats than you think 

 possible. The chances an. als^^ vjry good that in attempting to control your rats 

 haphazardly, you have suc^-eeded in training them to distrust you, to be wary of 

 food. Nor do you kno\v ^^'herf=' these rats of yours are concentrated. You may be 

 able to predict, more or less accurately, that most of them are around the chicken 

 house or in the barn, Yjliat percentage of the total population? You do not know. 

 Pre-baiting with unpoisoned food that is clean and fresh will tell you much about 

 your rat population. 



