THE JLVT VilODlAlM 188 



and mice are coming in rapidly, as they often do in iha fall, 

 keep and feed well for a while a female rat in a wire r'aire 

 against this opening. Now bore a hole througli the side of 

 the barn close to this corner. It is well to make tliis hole 

 one inch in diameter and allow the rats themselves to en- 

 large it so that it will be an actnal ''rat hole.'' Fasten 

 securely a cage trap so that all rats and mice which enter 

 the barn nuist do so through this trap. If all doors and 

 windows are properly screened and kept closed and all holes 

 are stopped up, this will insure catching the lirst rat or 

 mouse that comes and thus prevent even the beo-inniiio- of 

 breeding foci about the premises. ^ 



Possibly enough expense is hicurred amuudly in many 

 towns and cities and enough effort expended to effectually 

 exterminate rats and mice, but the work is not organized. 

 A may exterminate the pests from his place in October, IJ 

 *, from his in November, C from his in A[)ril, and all three of 

 their premises be infested again, for the season's breeding, the 

 work of one driving the old cunning rats over to neighbors. 

 We have effective methods enough to accomplish the com- 

 plete extermination with a small part of the ef^ovt and ex- 

 pense wasted by our communities annually. AVhat \\ e lack is 

 effective organization. Rats and mice tend to leave buildings 

 in the spring and migrate back to them in the fall. Since our 

 experience with rats and the plague in San Francisco, and in 

 view of the fact that other cities or even tow us may be called 

 upon at any time to fight the plague, every home ought to do 

 its part, and every connnunity ought to be able to extermi- 

 nate its own rats. The disease to-day is \\ideh' distributed. 



1 All even more serviceable trap which will set itself and thus catch a 

 continnous stream of animals may be made by any incjenious hay. jiossibly 

 in connection with the manual-training work. If vermin are likely to i^ain 

 access to the buildinjr by other openings, it is well to have an entrance to 

 the trap inside the building as well. 



