-3- 



I.Ir. Silver sa"S that rat-jroofing clauses in local Wilding ordinanaes 

 and more strict regalat io,u-, in lodi&,l sanitai-y codes; including the nro-er 

 collection and disoosal of garlDag^ and the prevention of trash ejid v:aste 

 accumu-lations on private premises] V/ill do more to hring ahout permanent 

 reduction in the nu.-nher of rats than any other measui'6, 



ITow, \ve have lieen very nice in speaMng ahout the rat. But the rat 

 is not nic6. Our coromon orov;n rat is a filthy, disease-carrying "beast. For: 

 hundreds of years, man ha.s "been living with rats ajrid at the same time fighting 

 them, The terihle ""black death" of the Hiddle Ages is now "believed to have 

 heen the huDonic plague spread from coijjitry to couiitry and city to city "by 

 o-uj- corrteion "bro',;n rat. Twenty-five million persons are estimated to have died 

 in S-'orope during that epidemic. Hecentl;^, rats on ships "brought that -ilagu-e 

 into this co-ujitry, "but proiipt rat-hilling ^tiSrk: "bj- the United States ?-dolic 

 Health Service sta,mped out the disease a.t the port. 



Hats a.re highly migratory. They m.ove from, house to house, from, farm 

 to fa.rm., and from conrnunity, and from State to Sta,te, and country to country. 

 You should do everj^thing you can to protect yo-'or life o.nd pro-'oerty from these 

 filthy disoase-sireading robhers, prevent trash accuiTiulat ing. See that the 

 garbage [oa.il has a tight-fitting top. Eat-iroof your "buildings. Tra-T them, 

 out, gas them out, or poison them out, 



3ven when j^ou kill off all t'xiose on your own premises, more m.ay come in 

 from the neighbors. Jor permanent results, the whole comxarinity should 

 cooperate, Co-ujit3--wide anti-rat campaigns are very valuable, because they 

 clear r.uuiy farms of the pest at the same time, so they won't irmnediately 

 become reinfested from a,djoining promises. Some cities nov.' ca.rry on .-inti-rat 

 carapa.igns as a regular thing each year, 



I>aring the cold winter mionths , ra<.ts concentra/te aroruxd the farm 

 buildings. So right now is the time to send for that bulletin ajid lay yo"UT 

 plains for en effective anti-rat carrtoaign. 



AMOUiTCZlI.B HT ; The bulletin on "Sat Coiitrol" is Farmers' Bulletin Ho, 

 1533-F, It contains s-c.ggestions for ra.t-proof ing buildings, for gassing 

 and poisoning, and for rat trapping. You can get a copy free of charge bj- 



writing cither to Station or to the United States De"partm.ont of 



Agricij-lt-ore, at ?/ashington, J), C, Just a.sk for Faxmers Bulletin ITo, 1-5-5-3- 

 F, on Ea.t Control. " 



