other places ii may be uslmI veiy effectively, and still, uii 

 account (^f its intensely bitter taste, it seldom cat dies the sly 

 old ones. ►Strychnized grain used in poisoning s[)arro\vs is 

 equally effective for rats and mice (\- oz. stnehnia sul- 

 ])hate dissolved in i pint of boiling water, thc)i-()ughly stirred 

 into - quarts of cracked corn or wheat, dried and labeled 

 and stored safely for use). The ^\ liter has been told of 

 clearinof a barnyard and larp'e stable bv lirst feeding the 

 rats with raw, unbroken eq;<_rs, then substitutino- eoos heavilv 

 charged with strychnine, the crystals of the poison ])eing 

 pushed through small holes in the shells. 'J'he groiuid near 

 these eggs was described as '' strewn with dead rats."' 



Phosphorus pastes conunonly sold as rat and mouse poisons 

 cannot be reconunended, as they are too likely to cause ffres. 

 The other ingredient, glucose, is likely to be leached or weath- 

 ered away, leaving the phosphorus strong enough to ignite 

 spontaneously, and lumps of the material may be carried by 

 rats from perfectly safe places — in a cemented cellar — u}) 

 into the nests anywhere in the building. Even fields of grain 

 have been lired in this way. 



Fumigation with poisonous gases is perhaps the most eftVc- 

 tive method of dealino- with vermin that burrow. It is such 

 sport to absolutely exterminate rats from fields, dumps, [)oultry 

 yards, and cellars that the game is worth the expense. 



Carbon bisulphide is the agent most conunonly use<l. ^Moisten 

 a tuft of cotton or a rao- the size of an eoo- with about a tal)le- 

 spoonful of the bisulphide, })ush it down the hole, and tamp 

 tightly with earth. If the hole is dug out, and remains iidiabited, 

 — which can be ascertained by lilling the mouth with earth a 

 few times, — repeat, using a double (h^se. Carbon bisulphide is 

 poisonous to breathe and is not only highly intlanunable but 

 very explosive ; therefore keep all lights away w hile using. 



What we have called the ^' focal" method of dealing with 

 civic pests consists in discovering something which attracts 



