R-U.S.N. 9/11/31 



collection and disposal of garta^o and prevention df trash and waste 

 accuxnalations on private premises, will do more to bring about permanent 

 reduction in the number of -vrats than any other measure, 



ITow, we have been very nice in speaking about the rat. But the rat 

 is not nice. Our common brown rat is a filthy, disease-carrying beast. For 

 hundreds of years, man has been living \7ith rats and at the same time fight- 

 ing them# The terrible "black death" of the Middle Ages is now believed to 

 liave been the bubonic plague spread from country to country and city to city 

 by our common brown rat. Twenty-five million persons are estimated to have 

 died in Europe during that epidemic* 



Rats are highly migratory. They move from house to house, from farm 

 to farm, and from community, to comiminity and from State to State, and 

 country to country. You should do everything you can to protect your life 

 and property from these filthy disease-spreading robbers. Prevent trash 

 accumulating. See tliat the garbage pail has a tight-fitting top. Rat- 

 proof your buildings. Trap them out, gas them out, or poison them out. 



Even when you kill off all those on your own premises, more may come in 

 from the neighbors. For permanent results, the v4iolc community should 

 cooperate. County-wide anti-rat canrpaigna arc very valuable, because they 

 clear many farms of the pest at the sar.ic time, so they won't immediately 

 become reinfested from adjoining premises. Some cities now carry on anti-rat 

 campaigns as a regular thing each year. 



During the cold winter months, rats concentrate around the farm 

 buildings. So right now is the time to send for that bulletin and lay your 

 plans for an effective anti-rat campo.ign, 



ifc:^ 1^ ifc >^ i|t 



AI'I^TOUNCEMENT : The bulletin on "Rat Control" is Farmers' Bulletin Ho. 

 1535-F. It contains suggestions for rat-proofing buildings, for gassing 

 and poisoning, auid for rat trapping. You can get a copy free of charge \)ir 



writing either to Station or to the United States Department of 



Agriculture, at Washington, D. C, Just ask for Farmers' Bulletin JTo.l-S-S-S- 

 F, on Eat Control." 



