3i8 



Rat Destruction. 



[JULY, 



of the summer, when the migratory season recurs and the 

 vermin endeavour to return to their winter homes, they can 

 be caught in large numbers. This can be assured by the laying 

 of poison baits in close proximity to the old runs, and also by 

 the use of bird-lime trays. 



Grain stacks, a great harbourage of rats, can be protected by 

 sheets of corrugated iron sunk 3 ft. below the ground all round 

 the stack, together with a fine mesh wire surface fencing 3 ft. 

 high. It has been definitely proved that the rat never burrows 

 more than 2 ft. 6 in. below the ground, so that even where 

 stacks cannot be built upon staddles this method would ensure 

 protection for the grain. Before threshing begins, all standing 

 stacks should be surrounded by wire fencing to prevent the 

 escape of any rats. It was recommended that all threshing- 

 machine owners should be asked to carry wire-netting for this 

 purpose as a part of their ordinary equipment. The same 

 method was proposed for use in ship-breaking yards, whence 

 spread great numbers of rats which enter our ports on board 



old vessels. 



****** 



At the meeting of the Norfolk Executive Committee on 

 12th June, the opinion was freely expressed that the officials 

 of the Ministry had been to blame in 

 Foot-and-Mouth ^-^^^ ^^^^ prevented movements 



Disease m Norfolk. . , / , 1 . -, -, 



01 certam sheep, which have led to the 



disastrous series of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease over 

 a wide area of the county. It is natural enough for men 

 who find their businesses threatened by an outbreak of this 

 magnitude to desire to blame somebody, but these opinions, 

 to which so much publicity has been given, would probably 

 have never been uttered had the whole of the facts been before 

 the meeting. Briefly, the circumstances as at present ascertain- 

 able are as follows : — 



On 1 2th April, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease 

 was diagnosed by the Ministry's officials at Stanninghall, 

 Frettenham, about 6 miles north of Norwich. Unfortunately, 

 the disease had been on the farm for some days before it was 

 reported, but the usual procedure was followed and a 

 considerable area of the district was closed to movements of 

 stock. This outbreak was successfully confined to the vicinity 

 of the infected farm. 



On loth April, two days before the disease was detected 

 at ^ Stanninghall, the owner of some sheep grazing on the 

 adjoining farm had moved them to Bowthorpe, about 4 miles 



