FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



105 



management of the Convention at Buffalo is itself a power- 

 ful argument that noble-minded men are making rapid 

 progress in that direction. 



In the Convention, as we were anticipating the closing 

 evening session, a resolution was cordially and unanimously 

 adopted that the final act should be the offering of prayer to 

 Almighty God ; and when that prayer was ended, the plain 

 and responsive amen from many lips was full of feeling, 

 and its power more than filled that hall, and immediately 

 started out upon the avenues of human influence, to crown 

 with lasting honor the Convention which, at the close of its 

 secular labors, devoutly acknowledged the Divine Sovereign 

 in whom we all live, and move, and have our being. 



Then came the last good-bye at parting. Good wishes 

 were lavished, not as common stock, as air and water, but 

 were given as the tokens of the most cordial friendship. 

 And even now, as I write, the frequent and hearty "God 

 bless you," so often heard as I left, is working in me the 

 determined purpose, if God in his wise providence permits, 

 to meet those friends again. 



William Atwood. 

 Big Flats, January 29, 1S74. 



<&Qvxe$\w\ultnte. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



RATS. 



Jos. M. Wade. 



Dear Sir: To the readers of the Fanciers' Journal, as 

 well as to fanciers generally, the question of rats, their habits, 

 instincts, and destructiveness, will ever be a matter of in- 

 terest. To one who attempts to raise poultry or pigeons in 

 the circumscribed limits of a city yard, or in the neighbor- 

 hood of corn-cribs, or buildings with ground floors, they 

 will prove an unceasing source of provocation, unless entirely 

 excluded from the coop or cot. My own experience with 

 them has not been of long standing, but most decided in its 

 way. I propose to give a specimen or two. 



While living in the country I had no cause of complaint, 

 but having moved to the city, and bought some pigeons, I 

 have, in the last two years, had many opportunities of be- 

 coming intimately acquainted with the vermine. My dove- 

 cot is a large one, and at that time a part of the flooring 

 was not laid. I had thought that the birds would like to 

 pick the lime and gravel on this dirt floor. Burrowing 

 through this the rats obtained ready ingress and egress. For 

 some time they contented themselves with the peas and corn 

 that remained there over night, and did not molest my stock ; 

 but one morning a dead pigeon, left on the floor, was found 

 nearly consumed. Then some sick ones — I had several of 

 them — were helped out of existence. Thus they ascended 

 the scale of depredation, until at last a fine pouter, an un- 

 usually strong bird, which was quite well the evening pre- 

 vious, was found half eaten on the ground. This convinced 

 me that something must be done. I looked about for then- 

 holes, and stopped them ; but next morning a beautiful tum- 

 bler hen, put up to mate with another, had disappeared, and 

 only her breast-bone left to tell her fate. A vigorous search 

 was instituted, and five rats, round and fat, were found 

 hidden away in the pigeon-house. These were soon got rid 

 of, and every hole fastened up. I hoped this was the end — 

 it was not, but the beginning. Every night they cut in, but 

 seemed to content themselves with the fact of being in for 

 that night. If their hole was not discovered, or left unclosed, 



the next night some bird or birds would suffer. I tried to 

 trap or poison them. A trap was placed over a newly-cut 

 hole, so as to prevent the rats reaching the cot except 

 through the trap. While I was securing it, one of the tribe 

 peeped through the hole into the trap. No other rat came 

 to that hole again. But they cut in elsewhere as before, and 

 killed a fan. I took the bird the next night, covered it with 

 " sure-pop," placed it at the hole, and put a board over it so 

 that the rats could not get into the house. Next morning 

 the pigeon was gone, and I congratulated myself that it had 

 been eaten. The rats, however, did not abate their attacks, 

 so I bought a steel-trap, and placed it, bated, where I had 

 put the poisoned pigeon. When I next examined it I found 

 it buried in dirt. I cleared this away, and set it again. The 

 next morning the poisoned pigeon ivas found entire in the trap. 



I strewed bread, smeared with the poison, in their runs. 

 The bread disappeared, and quite a number of young, half- 

 grown rats were found dead or dying of the poison, but no 

 trace was ever discovered of any old one having suffered. 



Again they had cut in — this time directly through the 

 flooring. I set my steel-trap temptingly beside the hole, 

 and covered trap and hole with a large tight box. This I 

 thought would take them, and so it did ; but only young rats 

 again. Three half-grown were caught in succession, and 

 then, to my surprise, the hole was stopped up. As the flooring 

 was only about two inches from the ground, this could easily 

 be done. I opened it, and again set the trap. Next morning 

 another young rat was caught, and not the hole only, but even 

 the run leading to it were thoroughly stopped. All this while 

 I had killed several in various ways, but not a single old 

 one, either by trap or poison. 



By this time, as I had stopped their holes with tin as they 

 were cut, a considerable portion of the flooring, and one side 

 of the cot, were tinned over. I now secured every weak 

 point, and so arranged the nests so as to have no hiding 

 places whatever inside the house. I also encouraged a ter- 

 rier to remain under the dove-cot, and this, I think, mate- 

 rially assisted me in getting rid of them. 



Now I breathe freely, and surely I deserve to. J. G. 



Greenville, N. J., January 16, 1S74. 

 Mr. Jos. M. Wade. 



Dear Sir: I received the Fanciers' Journal just as I was 

 preparing to go to Connecticut to judge on game fowls. 



A weekly publication of this class is what I have always 

 advocated. Our fraternity must have a quicker way of in- 

 troducing their fowls to public notice than once a month. I 

 am most anxious for its success, and I think that by your 

 management it will be the leading paper of its kind. 



I am also pleased that you give that noble and faithful 

 animal, the dog, a place in your columns, and I hope that 

 our poultry men will have a place set apart at the exhibition 

 for competition in thoroughbred dogs. I have never lost a 

 chicken by a thief, so well have my faithful guardians at- 

 tended to their duty; and my cats save my young cliicks 

 from the rats. I have seen them set a whole day behind a 

 coop of little ones watching a chance for Mr. Rat. Send 

 me the Journal regularly, and when 1 return I will remit 

 $2.50. 



Inclosed I send you my standard on game if you feel like 

 publishing it; if not, please return it to me, as it is the only 

 one I have. Yours truly, 



Isaac Van Winke. 



