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Show DESTRUCTION OF RATS WITH CARBON BISULPHIDE, A correspondent,, writing to the Lender, of East Africa, describes a method pursued hi destroying rats in Java: M. do Kniyff, of the Agricultural Bureau of the Dutch Indies at Bult-enzyrg, Bult-enzyrg, Java, has published an interesting inter-esting article on the destruction of rats. The various contagious diseases di-seases recommended for this purpose have been found useless in tho tropics, trop-ics, and have not always proved effective ef-fective even in the Temperate Zone Hence, De Kruytf's experiments will be of general interest. After working work-ing four years with numerous viruses without succeeding in creating an epidemic or killing a single rat, De Kruyff obtained more encouraging results re-sults by employing carbon bisulphide in the following manner- All visible rat holoE were first stopped with earth to ascertain which holes were Inhabited, for the Inhabited holes wore found reopened on the following day. Half a leaspoonful of carbon WsulpbJde wns poured In each of these holes, and after waiting a few seconds to allow the liquid to evaporate evap-orate the mixture of vapor and air was ignited. The result was a small explosion, which filled the holo with poisonous gases and Wiled all tho rate almost Instantly. A pound of bisulphide Is sufficient for more than 200 rat holes; 131 dead rats were found In forty-three holes which wore opened after the operation. The correspondent states -further that he has had satisfactory results in exterminating porcupines by this mothod. |