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Show LEAVES' from Methods of Rat Control In order that rats be permanentlj excluded from any premises it is absolutely necessary that the premises prem-ises be kept in a sanitary state and that buildings be so constructed as to prevent the entrance of she rodents; ro-dents; such buildings must, moreover, more-over, be kept in good repair. HOW TO BAT-PROOF A BUILDING The first thing to do with a building build-ing having brick, stone, or concrete foundation is to search with utmosl care for all places where rats mighl possibly enter, and to close such openings with metal sheeting or plus them with concrete. All basement windows or other large openings should be screened tightly with standard 8-mesh galvanized hardware hard-ware cloth. This screening will serve to keep out flies, as well as rats and mice. Buildings without rat-prool foundations should be lifted to an elevation ele-vation of at least 18 inches from the ground and kept open on all sides, with no litter permitted tc accumulate underneath. CONTROLLING RAT INFESTATION One of the best methods of control con-trol is to destroy all places where the rats can house themselves and raise their families without fear oi molestation. The commonest ral shelters are dead spaces betweer walls and beneath floors. Firestop-ping, Firestop-ping, or sealing such walls by fitting sheet metal between the joists and nailing it to the sill is effective ir closing that type of rat shelter. Other common rat shelters are, as everyone knows, bins and boxes and bags where produce is stored; alsc lumber piles and piles of trash and refuse. Trash and waste should, oi course, not be allowed to accumulate, accumu-late, but should be burned at once, and stored materials should be elevated ele-vated at least Vz feet. Since food is one of the things which the rat must have, it is important im-portant to cut off his supplies. Not only does a food shortage limit the number of rats which can subsisl upon given premises, but the resultant re-sultant hunger causes rats to take poison bait more readily. DESTROYING THE RATS Methods for prevention of rat infestation in-festation must usually be combined with methods for destroying such rodents as may already be present Probably the most efficient means for killing the rats is poisoning. Twc objections may be urged against poisoning: poi-soning: one is that poison placed about the premises may be dangerous danger-ous to domestic animals and to children; chil-dren; the other is that the poisoned rats may die in inaccessible places where the decomposition of theii bodies will give rise to obnoxious odors. The first objection may be overcome by using as mild a poison as possible and by using great care in choosing the places where the poison is placed, and the second by using a very slow-acting poison. PREPARING A POISON BAIT One of the best poisons to be used for the purpose is barium carbonate (precipitated). This is a heavy, white, mineral salt, only mildly poisonous, poi-sonous, tasteless, odorless, slow in action, and inexpensive. Nevertheless Neverthe-less it must be used with some care for, if taken in sufficient quantities, it is fatal to cats, dogs, chickens, and even to larger animals. The barium carbonate should be thoroughly thor-oughly incorporated with a soft cereal ce-real (bread, corn meal, rolled oats), or into meats such as hamburger steak or sardines, or into apples, melons, or tomatoes. Any of these will attract the rodents. The bail should be freshly prepared and should be distributed in teaspoonfuls in all places where the rats are known to feed. Another poison, and one which has the advantage of being unattractive to human beings and domestic animals, ani-mals, is red squill. This poison may be bought in either a powder or a liquid form; it can be readily mixed with a great variety of baits. RAT DETERRENTS It is well known that rats have a marked aversion to certain odors. Flake naphthalene, for instance, is objectionable to them and may be used to keep them away from places where sacked grains are stored. Other Oth-er compounds, such as creosote, carbolic car-bolic acid, other coal and wood tar derivatives, kerosene, and the oils of peppermint and wintergreen are objectionable to rats and are frequently fre-quently used to drive or keep the rodents out. Certain other compounds, com-pounds, such as copperas, powdered sulphur, lime and lye are effective. For further information on methods oi controlling rats, send 6ve cents to Superintendent Super-intendent oi Documents. Washington, D. C-, asking lor Farmers' Bulletin No. 1SJS DANDELION CONTROL Besides the fact that, when it has ripened, the dandelion scatters its seed prodigally on every passing breeze, th. plant has another survival sur-vival resource in the fact that it grows a long taproot, teaching three or more feet into the ground. This long taproot makes it nearly impossible impos-sible to remove a mature plant. fROLIFIC ROSE FAMILY. Did you know that there are more than a hundred different groups ot plants belonging to the rose family? j |