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HOW TO DESTROY RATS. 



rats, the trap is Avell adapted to capture larger animals, as mink, 

 raccoons, opossums, and cats. It is especially useful to protect poul- 

 try yards, game preserves, and the like. The trap should be placed 

 along the fence outside the yard, and behind a shelter of boards or 

 brush that leans against the fence. 



Fence and battue. — In the rice fields of the Far East the natives 

 build numerous piles of brush and rice straw, and leave them for 

 several days until many rats have taken shelter in them. A portable 

 bamboo inclosure several feet in height is then set up around each 

 pile in succession and the straw and brush are thrown out over the 

 top, while dogs and men kill the trapped rodents. Large numbers 

 are killed in this way, and the plan with modifications may be util- 

 ized in America with satisfactory results. A wire netting of fine 

 mesh may be used for the inclosure. The scheme is applicable at 

 the removal of grain, straw, or haystacks, as well as brush piles. 



In a large barn near Washington, a few years ago, piles of 

 unhusked corn shocks were left in the loft and were soon infested 

 with rats. A wooden pen was set down surrounding the piles in turn 

 and the corn thrown out until dogs were able to get at the rats. In 

 this way several men and dogs killed 500 rats in a single day. 



Poisons. 



While the use of poison is the best and quickest way to get rid of 

 rats, the odor from the dead animals makes the method impracticable 

 in occupied houses. Poison, however, may be effectively used in 

 barns, stables, sheds, cribs, and other outbuildings. 



Among the principal poisons that have been recommended for 

 killing rats are barium carbonate, strychnine, arsenic, and phos- 

 phorus. 



Barium carbonate. — One of the cheapest and most effective poisons 

 for rats and mice is barium carbonate. This mineral has the advan- 

 tage of being without taste or smell. It has a corrosive action on the 

 mucous lining of the stomach and is dangerous to larger animals if 

 taken in sufficient quantity. In the small doses fed to rats and mice 

 it would be harmless to domestic animals. Its action upon rats is 

 slow, and if exit is possible they usually leave the premises in search 

 of water. For this reason the poison may frequently, though not 

 always, be used in houses without disagreeable consequences. 



Barium carbonate may be fed in the form of dough composed of 

 four parts of meal or flour and one part of the mineral. A more 

 convenient bait is ordinary oatmeal with about one-eighth of its bulk 

 of the mineral, mixed with water into a stiff dough. A third plan is 

 to spread the barium carbonate upon fish, toasted bread (moistened), 

 or ordinary bread and butter. The prepared bait should be placed in 



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