182 CIVIC BIOLOGY 



them above everything else. This is a method of attracting 

 (focusing) all vermin to a particular place, and is diametri- 

 cally opposite to all the common devices for '' driving away " 

 or scattering our pests among our neighbors. When we find 

 something which will attract every fly, mosquito, flea, rat, 

 English sparrow, stray cat to a certain spot and catch and 

 kill them there, the work of control or extermination will 

 be easy. A dog is a natural focus for every flea about the 

 premises. Lather him with soap daily or once a week for a 

 few weeks and every flea will be exterminated. 



The natural focus of any animal is its preferred food, and 

 for rats and mice about the home this is the granary, feed 

 room, pantry, or storage cellar. It is only necessary to make 

 these absolutely rat and mouse proof, — easily accomplished 

 now with cement, sheet metal, or wire net, — and then leave no 

 food exposed outside these places, and, to all practical intents 

 and purposes, we have our premises rat proof. We caii then 

 easily establish a focus which will catch or kill every rat or 

 mouse which comes to us for food. 



Take the example of a home which has a horse and cow 

 and poultry. Each place will present its own problems, but 

 the following scheme will apply to all sorts of conditions. 



If possible, have all feed for poultry and stock kept m a 

 rat- and mouse-proof feed room. The wall of this room is 

 tight, preferably steel lath and cement, except a space six 

 inches high by one foot long in one of the corners against 

 the outer wall of the barn. This space is closed by both 

 heavy wire net of one-quarter-inch mesh to exclude all rats 

 and mice, and also with fine wire gauze to keep out all in- 

 sects. Rats and mice seek their food by smell, and this 

 opening will focus to that place all the animals as they come 

 to the premises, if no other food is accessible anywhere else. 

 Keep the bag of Spratt's dog biscuit and the poultry scrap 

 meat and a bag: of sunflower seeds near this hole, and if rats 



