SPECIAL REPORT FOR YEAR I912. 29 



twisted together. These cross strands are held up where 

 necessary by posts. The whole network of strings thus formed 

 IS put at such height that the attendants in working about the 

 yard will not hit them when standing upright. The area covered 

 in with strings in this way on the Station poultr}' plant is usu- 

 ally about 3 acres per year. The expense of covering this area 

 is from $15 to $20 for twine. The labor of putting it up is 

 comparatively small. It forms a perfect and complete protec- 

 tion against both crows and hawks. 



Next in importance to the predaceous birds as poultry ene- 

 mies stand the rats and the foxes. In times past foxes have 

 destroyed many chickens from the Station's poultry plant. Of 

 late years, however, none has been lost. The protection is 

 afforded by a fox proof fence surrounding the whole plant. 

 Rats may become a very pest. They live under the brooder 

 houses and take the young chicks. Various methods have been 

 tried at the Station, but no wholly satisfactory way of dealing 

 with rats has yet been found. Trial has been made of one of 

 the most widely advertised of the bacterial rat destroyers, 

 which when fed to rats is supposed to induce a disease which 

 kills them all. No effect whatever was observed to follow the 

 use of this preparation. The rats ate freely of grain which 

 had been moistened with it and if any disease developed as a 

 consequence it has not yet manifested itself, and the trial was 

 made some three years ago. Digging the rats out of their holes 

 and shooting them is on the whole about as effectual a method 

 of dealing with them as the Station has yet found. Several 

 good cats on the place also aid materially in fighting this pest. 

 If someone will discover an effective, non-poisonous rat repel- 

 lant or destroyer he will confer a great boon on all mankind, 

 and especially on the poultryman. 



Work with Dairy Cattle. 



Proposed Plan for a Comprehensive Investigation of the 



Inheritance of Milk Production in Dairy Cattle, 



with Special Reference to Breeding for 



Improved Production. 



There has never been carried through anywhere in the world 

 any systematic or comprehensive scientific investigation of the 



