DEVASTATING POWERS OF THE RAT. 
173 
giving thirty-two men a two-pound loaf each per day for six 
months, or a loaf each per day to sixteen men the year 
round ; or at ten rats per man, he is keeping equal to fifty 
men for six months in the year, or twenty-five men the year 
round in laziness. He who estimates his rats at 750, sustains 
a loss of a bushel and a half per day, or thirty-four quarters 
one bushel and three pecks in the half-year, which, at only 
forty shillings per quarter, would fetch £68 8s. 9d., which, 
to say nothing of the odd measure, would supply forty-eight 
men with a two-pound loaf each per day for six months, or 
twenty-four men with the same amount the whole year ; 
but at ten rats per man it is equal to keeping seventy-five 
men in laziness for six months, or thirty-seven men and a 
boy the year round. Those farmers who estimate their 
number of rats at 1,000, will be sorry to learn that at the 
wine-glass standard they each lose two bushels of corn per 
day, or forty-five quarters and five bushels in the half-year, 
which, at forty shillings per quarter, would realize £91 5^., 
or, if the corn were distributed in two-pound loaves, it would 
supply sixty-four individuals daily for six months, or thirty- 
two the whole year through ; or if disposed of according to 
the standard of ten rats to a man, it would supply a hundred 
lazy men for six months, or fifty for the entire year. 
Having arrived thus far, let us now bear in mind three 
distinct considerations. The first is, that these calculations 
are made at the low price of forty shillings per quarter for 
corn. But should corn be at sixty shillings, then instead of 
£91 5s. you would lose £136 175. 6d. ; or should corn be, as 
of late years it often has been, eighty shillings per quarter, 
then your losses would be £182 10^. 
The next consideration is, that we set down rats to eat 
and waste only a wine-glass, or half a gill each, in twenty- 
four hours ; but should they destroy a gill, then under any 
circumstances your losses would be double. And the third 
consideration is, that we have made no calculation whatever 
as to what they destroy during the other six months, in the 
shape of grain, roots, eggs, pigeons, poultry, &c. 
I shall conclude the present chapter by noticing the pecu- 
liarities of rats and mice in a rick ; and here I would ask 
you how many mice it would take to eat as much as a rat ? 
Some say six, some seven, .a^^d others eight. But to make 
