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About Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1909)
- \ - , IrJ / ' ' a Q [ ' . . . a.I'Jwt . . ' . , f . ofTfl I. r 'I 18 [ Q : ( , O q JJ ' IIl1 I ' s. : . , . . ' " ' ' " tL fi V I . o 1CLft. ,2 , [ W4R GtN 24'S ) L . . . . 1 + ' ' f . : . II I I . ; 1- f 1g 1 I t J t r , : If r - ( III , IllhIli/I / i f : : 4 r ; . 4i a - - ' -I I : r , I'S 1 _ , - ; _ r. .t . _ r : . L-- . , - - - Rats ! The expression is generally sue of contempt ; but if a person would 'pause for a moment and consider that tie damage done by these rodents in the United States alone ameunts to over $20,000,600 a year : the tone would ' be changed to that of fear. Occupying J only a small part of the Old World at one time , through the continued rf spread of commerce these animals , have been furnished free transporta tion to the most distant parts of tke earth. Traps , poisons , gases and re cently ; cultures supposed to spread fa tal diseases have been resorted to to drive out : tke pest. In spite of all these the animals continue to prosper aad multiply and their numbers and destructiveness keep pace with the ad- Vance of modern eivili ation. Though : thousands and thousands have been killed it is only a short time before thousands and thousands more replace the slain. Unless some new method of extermination is devised the war promises to "be never ending. l David E. Lantz , assistant , biological survey , has prepared an article on the brown rat that is highly interest- \ ing to all and instructive to those who w a" ore bothered by the pest. His ideas of the suppression of the reproduction of the rodent are the enactment and the rigid enforcement of municipal ordi- I nances providing for the disposal of garbage and the protection . of food supplies. He says : "Every effort should be made to in- struct as to the necessity for care in sthe the disposition of refuse and the pro- tection of food material. Tightly closed garbage cans , frequently emptied , will go far toward limiting the food available for rats. Grain to bins in thousands of private and pub- ' lic stables now afford food and harbor- age for thousands . of rats ; public mar- kets and feed , provision and grocery stores , notoriously lacking in protec- tion from rats should have their con- tents safeguarded from these animals. "The advantages of cement in the cellars and foundations of public and private buildings are now so well un derstood that the rat-proofing of build- Ings by cement construction and other necessary measures should : no longer be left to individual inclination and . " - ' judgment , but should be incorporated in building regulations and these strictly enforced. The additional ex pense , compared with the advantage , Is trivial. I . "The early history of the brown rat is practically unknown. The species is generally supposed to be of Asiatic origin , but there is no positive knowl- edge as to its native country. The brown rat differs from the other two . species in "America in larger size , shorter head , more obtuse muzzle , smaller ears and relatively shorter tail. The general color is grayish brown above and whitinh below. The . i overhairs of the upper part have black i I THE WAGES OF CRIME > LTcrafie Income of TIio e Who P ; of- It by Violence and Bloodshed. j . To formulate anything more than an approximate estimate of the cost of 'crime to the country at large Trauld , of course , be a task almost im- posalble of accomplishment , for the i . reason that in country districts records . ! r are much more imperfectly kept , while i / tie proportionate cost of crime Is un- I ; doubtedly higher than for a large city. . / . Tie cost of crime included in taxation v in New York city is about $6 per capita of population , the highest in the country. In San Francisco it is 1 estimated at about $5 , and in ether elties from $4 to 450. \ ' . It is probably well wilbto. - 4fce - Ilm- . - SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS. - r The following are important aids in limiting the number of rats and reducing the losses from their depredations : 1-Protection of our native hawks , owls , and smaller predatory mam- mals-the natural enemies of rats. 2-Greater cleanliness about stables , markets , grocery stores , ware- houses , courts , alleys and vacant lots in cities and villages , and like care on farms and suburban premises. This includes the storage of waste and gar bage in tightly covered vessels and the prompt disposal of it each day. 3-Care in the construction of buildings and drains so as not to provide entrance and retreats for rats , and the permanent closing of all rat holes in old houses and cellars. 4-The early thrashing and marketing of grains on farms , so that stacks and mows shall not furnish harborage and food for rats. 5-Removal of outlying straw stacks and piles of trash or lumber that harbor rats in the fields. 6-Rat-proofing of warehouses , markets , cribs , stables and granaries for storage of provisions , seed grain and feed stuffs. 7-Keeping effective rat dogs , especially in , city warehouses. 8 - The systematic destruction of rats , whenever and wherever possible , by ( a ) trapping , ( b ) poisoning , and ( c ) organized hunts. 9-The organization of "rat clubs" and other societies for systematic warfare against rats. tips. The tail is usually shorter .than the head and body combined , while in the other two species it is generally longer. "During the plague of rats on the island of Jamaica , in 1833 the num- ber killed on a single plantation was ? 38,000. The injury to sugar cane on the island by the animals was esti- mated at that time to be $500,000 a year. Over 12,000,000 were killed In India during a year. Observations I show that climate and food supply I greatly affect the rate of multiplica- ! tion of rodents. The rat . is no excep- ! . tion. It increases more rapidly in a. moderately ; warm climate with an abundant supply of food. "The destruction of feedstuffs by rats is a serious loss not only on the farm but in almost every city and vil lage in the whole country. Often through the carelessness or indiffer- ence of servants the bin or barrel in which feed is kept is left uncovered , and the rats fairly swarm to the night- ly feast. In cases investigated in Washington , D. C. , the loss was equal to 5 or 10 per cent of the grain bought. A grocer was buying feed for two horses and several hundred rats ; the horses were fed at regular intervals and the rats nearly all of the time. In the case of an establishment feed- ing from fifty to a hundred horses the loss of feed in the course of a year often amounts to a , large item "Rats are very fond of malt and in malt houses and brewerIes con- stant watchfulness is necessary to pre- vent losses. Mills , elevators and ware- houses in which grain is stored are likewise subject to the invasion of the animals. Also the destruction of sacks , barrels and bins is a large item of loss. "The rodents aro very fond of poul- try and eggs. A commission mer- chant of Washington relates that he i once stored in his warehouse 100 dozen . its of safety to say that the total direct cost of crime to the country at large is about $600,000,000 or $700,000- 000 annually. : Criminal losses by fire last year totaled about $100,000,000 , vhile the loss of wages of some 250- 000 prisoners in State , city and coun ty jails and prisons , amounted to something over $50,000,000. There are at present about 100,000 criminals con- fined in 'the State prisons of the coun- try , and it is estimated that from 5 to 10 times as ' many more are success- ful in eluding the law. From statistics presented to the Prison Association of New York some years ago it has been ascertained that persons who follow crime as a business realize from their spoliation of the public $1,600 each per _ . j /t / i 4 r ' ! , lr ' ' ft J j ; IJ ! t I. . j J it t 1 4 1 < < I t-1 ! ; f I I.r i ! 1 i I 2 1--- B.I.l ? ; ) 2 m - ! ( .I ) W/ N d'TAfI Q f'W.c ; ' I ( a ) WI/ ! A/MKSZ > :8..4'/D c > rs eggs in a wooden tub with a lid of board nailed on. Rats gnawed a hole through the top and carried away all but twenty-eight and a half dozen , leaving no stains or shells to show that any had been broken. Rats are very destructive to tame pigeons and young : squabs , game birds , fruit and vegetables. "It Is generally believed that mice and rats cause fire by igniting matches with their teeth. The testimony of I . chiefs of fire departments and insur- ance adjusters confirms this belief. Manufacturers : of matches often dip I the ends in paraffin to protect the ! phosphorus. The paraffin is attractive to rats and mice and the matches are often carried behind walls , under floors and behind partitions where they are gnawed. Rats have been known to gnaw through the lead gas pipes and cause explosions. Rats often do .mischief by gnawing the insulating covering of telephone wires to obtain the paraffin it contains. "At state and national fish hatch- eries the rats cause much trouble by burrowing into embankments and gnawing holes through wooden tanks. They have been known to gnaw the hoofs of horses until they bled. They have been known to kill young lambs and pigs and to attack very fat hogs and eat holes in their body causing death. "There is a child buried near the summit of Pike's Peak that is supposed to have been killed by rats. "The most serious charge against rats grows out of their relation to hu man health. It is now positively known that rats are chiefly responsi- ble for the spread of the bubonic plague , a malady which , in spite of modern methods of fighting it , has within the past dozen years destroyed over 5,000,096 human beings in India alone. "BUbonic plague in man is entirely annum. When it is considered that the receivers of stolen goods get the lion's share of the profit , some idea is obtained of how great the cost to the community really is , and how small , comparatively , is the wages going to those who risk their freedom , even life itself , in following this mode of exist- ence. During thirty years of asbestos pro- duction , Canada , which leads the world in the output of the mineral , has produced over $20,000,000 worth. The 800-foot bridge over the Yellow River at Lanchowfn , in the Province of , Kansu , Is nearing completion. All materials had to be conveyed nearly 1,000 miles in Chinese carts 2 . ' - : DAMAGE BY : RATS. : The estimated damage done by rats in the various countries is as follows : Denmark . . . . . . . . . . _ _ . . . . . $ 3,000,080 France . . . . . . . . . . . . _ . . . i . 40,000,000 Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _ _ . 50,000,008 Great Britaia . . . . . . . . ; - - . 73,000,000 United States . . . . . . . . : . . . 20,000,000 Mexico _ . . _ . . . . _ . . . _ . . . _ - . 15,000,000 Canada _ . . . . . . . _ . . . . . 2,000,000 dependent upon the disease in the rat. "The infection is conveyed from rat to rat and from rat to man solely by means of the rat flea. "A case of buljonie } plague in man is not in itself infectious. "A large majority of plague cases occur singly in houses. When more house the than one case occurs in a ' simultaneous. attacks' : are generally ( This proves that there is no soil in- fection. ) "Plague is usually conveyed from place to place by imported rat fleas , which are carried by people on their persons or in their baggage. The hu man agent not infrequently himself escapes infection. "Unsanitary conditions have no re lation to the occurrence of plagues ex cept in so far as they favor infestation by rats. "The non-epidemic season is bridged over by acute plague in the rat , accom- panied by a few cases among human beings. "Rats have been fought all over the world with renewed effort since this discovery has been made. The gov- ernment on the Pacific slope has taken up the fight and has exterminated mil- lions of the rodents. "Except that to a limited extent rats act as scavengers , they render no im- portant service to man. "In former times , doubtless , their work as scavengers in cities was of considerable value , but modern meth ods of garbage disposal make this service insignificant. "Among the methods for driving away rats that have proved useful under some circumstances . are the fol - lowing : " 1. Freshly slaked lime 'placed dry in all burrows and runs of rats. " 2. Freshly made thin whitewash poured into the rat burrows. . " 3. A strong solution of copperas sprinkled in runs and burrow en- trances. " 4. Chloride of lime , loose or wrapped in old rags , placed in bur- rows and runs. " 5. Gas tar daubed about the bur- row entrances. " 6. Powdered red pepper scattered in rat runs and burrows. : " 7. Caustic potash placed in the burrows and runs. "Owing to their cunning it is not easy to catch rats by trapping. A few adults refuse to enter the most in- nocent looking trap. And yet trap- ping if persistently followed Is one of the most effective ways of destroying the animal. For general use the im proved modern trap with a wire fall released by a baited trigger driven by a coiled spring has marked advan- tages over tEe old trap , and many of them may be used at the same time. Probably those used entirely of metal are the best , as they are less liable to retain odors. "Vienna sausage ( Wienerwurst ) and fried bacoa are the best baits , and a part of an ear of corn is very attrac- tive to the animals. In fact , they will attack anything edible that is offered them. "The French wire cage traps are very , food where rats are numerous. All cage traps should be baited and left open fer a few nights so that the rats become accustomed to enter them I in the search for food. As many as ! twenty-five partly grown rats have : ' been caught at one time with one of these trajs. " J SIDELIG TS. The Salvation Army Is established in fifty-two countries. The war department paid $94,418 for artificial limbs last year. Six out of seven pictures sent to the Royal Academy every year are re jected. The railroads of this country pay out $24,000,010 a year in freight claims. One-fifth of the country's wealth is represented la the New York stock exchange. ] An owl with a nest of young will gather about forty mice a day for her offspring. - _ . . . " " _ _ , L = ' ; ' : : . . . " . / " " . . S ( : JWlOrO ' ' . ' irLM .h 'fJ t1f-1 A tr L N ' " 9 " U ! % " . ! . , , k./f..a . _ . . .r2f. - : . % ti ti.i . . : . . . .t , J . 'i f t ti , : . , . U ! \ i1 < ; I.Io.r. f' ; . . . t P \ - ' 1 ifs t OT ( : .H r 151 f iJ , ( ] ; . ' . : . , - i ; ' t' ' r. . - - " " " r ' -t- . . . o. : . ' < 1 _ . , . h.1'r . . . . . ; _ _ _ J- ! ' _ " _ ' : $ 'J . . " 1 . ; t . .l . . . f b' t .d J < . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Oak Park , a suburb of Chicago , is located on the highest point of land between Lake Michigan and the Des Plaines River - "on a hill seven feet high. " ' But how came ' this com- manding eminence there ? Back in the frigid heart of the glacial pe- riod , about 20,000 years ago next De- cember , the . northern part of America was covered over with a great conti- nental Ice sheet. It was like : the ice sheet which now covers Greenland ; It was formed by the impaction of thou- sands of feet of snow , and flowed slow- ly southward , like the advance of very thick molasses candy on the surface of a plate. Finally there came a succes sion of mild winters , and the ice sheet , began to recede ; its extreme margin , which had been building up the Val paraiso hills , which skirt the southern end of Lake Michigan , retreated with- in the present basin of the lake , and slowly moved farther and farther north. Its place was taken by a lake -Lake Chicago. The surface of this lake was sixty feet above the present level of Lake Michigan. The extent of Lake Chicago is some- what indefinite , for the edge of the ice sheet formed its northern boundary and varied much from year to year as Old Mother : Earth struggled to throw off its glacial burden. Eastward the lake included the present areas of Lake Huron and Lake Erie , and cov- ered the region lying between them ; a broad arm extending across south- ern Michigan from the Saginaw Val- ley connected its eastern and western portions. Lake Superior had at this time its own outlet into the Missis- sippi ; Lake Ontario was still covered by the ice sheet. , Anything more desolate and awful than the scenery of Lake Chicago at this time it is difficult to conceive- a vast stretch of ice cold water froz en over in the winter and dotted with Icebergs in the summer. Where now stand the Auditorium icebergs ground- ed in June and great drifting floes creaked and groaned against each oth- er through the dark days of the fall. There was no fish in the sea , no bird flew overhead , no animal walked or crawled along the desolate : shore. The outlet of Lake Chicago was southwest through the Des Plaines and Illinois rivers into the Mississippi. Lemont was in a mile-wide valley where once rolled the clear , chill wa- ters which drained a basin extending from Chicago to Buffalo and from Green Bay to Georgian Bay. In view of the comparative tame- ness of the scenery about Chicago It is enough to make one weep to think of this river-a mile wide , with rock bottom and sides , carrying a volume of water "comparable to Niagara , " as says William C. Alden , of the United States Geological Survey , and de . scending seventy-six feet in a distance of ten miles. Through uncounted cen- turies that glory and grandeur weal utterly to waste , so far as human be ings are concerned ; and now ChI- cagoaas pay out thousands of dollars annually to go to see the rapids of the St. Lawrence and the Niagara. In course ef time this period of the lake's history came to an end. Tha rapids in the "Chicago outlet" cut back to the limestone lip at whlcH they started and lowered the level of the lake some tweaty feet. Here it was stationary once more through cen turies of time. The waters were as lifeless and the scenery as desola $ * as ever , but the icebergs which drifted down Michigan boulevard ! were small. er , for tho water was shallower. It was at this period that a large sand bar more than a mile wide formed la the shallow w 1.ter. Why is Chicago : where she Is ? It has often been said that the great city of the lakes might just as well hava been built en tho site of Milwaukee : and that only the superior enterprise and commercial genius of Chicago's ; business men turned the scale. This is putting the cart before the horse ; - it was the superior advantage of Chl cage's site that attracted these far- seeing men. Look at a map of the United States. Throughout a region extending from Joliet to Texas and from Denver to Nashville , the nearest point on the great lakes , with their cheap water transportation , is Chi cago ; ; the grain must ceme : here. But this great region is peor in timber though rich agriculturally. The near est point to which the southward- moving lumber of the North can be brought by water is Chicago. Look at the map again. The great lakes ex tend far to the south of their outlet through the St. Lawrence , and the railroads which , run frem New York and ' Boston : to Wisconsin , Minnesota , northern Iowa , the Dakotas , Montaaa Oregon and the Puget Sound region not to speak of the imperial domain of western Canada - must be gathered to- gether like a sheaf at some point on the shore of Lake Michigan , where Its waters block the direct path to the Northwest. There was but one point where this could occur-where the Chicago River furnished a harbor for the boats , and the Des Plaines water shed , with . its fifteon-faot divide , af - forded easy access te the "hinterland" for canoes , railroads , ship canals , etc. The jobbing trade of Chicago has been built up subject to strict geographic and topographic conditions. And Chi cago's great strategic advantage of po- sition is seen in this : That no matter what the form of transportation , whether by rail or by water , her posi tion is equaly advantageous and equal. ly commanding. . ADVISORY STAFF OF THE CENSUS DEPARTMENT. III P ' , + , dtkl * - r,4 wt > ' ; : $ Y , , A ' 'y A1e s t r yM 'yk''J K , - ' 14L 'C : P , 'h d F , r . ' ' . 'a' ' r .5 r , " " " " " , , , " "lI'1""C'--- ' . ; . ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _ " 'te . . . . . U.O' . ' . . - - ' { ' . . " ' 11 . Alma Mater is proud of her sons who have been serving as advisers to the census authorities upon the subject of the formulation of the inquiry schedules , writes a Washington correspondent. There are twelve of them , and they represent the University of Dakota , University of Wisconsin , Iowa Agricultural College , London School of Economics , University of Berlin , Cornell University , University of Nebraska , Harvard University , University of Texas , University of Chicago , University 'of Kansas , Columbia College , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , University of Vermont , Northwestern University , Dartmouth College , Carnegie Technology School , Brown Univer- sity and Yale University. Among them are : A. B.'s , Ph. D.'s , M. : S.'s , B. S. C.'s , S. C.'s , B. S. A.'sM. S. A . ' s , A. B . ' s , A. M.'s , Ph. B.'s , Ph. M.'s , and about all the other combinations of letters indicative of degrees in the higher branches of education There are professors of agricultural economics , of . farm management and farm crops , of political economy , of finance and of other special lines versed in the science of agriculture. ' The back row reading from left to right is made up ef : Horace Secrist , Spurgeon Bell , John Lee Coulter , Henry C. Taylor , Thomas N. Carver , Alvin. S. Johnson , Carroll W. Doten. The front row reading from left to right Is . made up of : William B. Bailey , J. F. Warren , Arthur Boynton , Joseph A. Hill , Bmil P. Seeker , Allen H. Willett. Dr. Hill is the chief statistician of tie Division of Revision and Results , and ie is a graduate from Phillips Exeter Academy and of Harvard College. He is a Ph. D. of the University of Halle in Germany. ATCHISON GLOBE SIGHTS. How hoarse a little steamboat can - whistle ! Until the fire , every man feels that the insurance agents are robbing him. "Pull" can never carry a man far. It Is hard work and application that count. One way not to have a good time Is to spend most of your time looking for 1L I . When people do not enjoy doing tke things we do , we are apt to think they do not have a good time. - Wken two old ladies and an . ld mam walk down the street , the Man generally pokes along behind. . Mtst people , are forgetful. Mest . = ; : r people think children used to be more 4.t siedieat : than they are to-day. " ' 'JJ1 . > I" - Hew tender and devoted a young s : \ maa is te an old lady , when a prettj yeuag . girl Is looking at hI" , ? ' 0 0 . iJi. : _ s t i . . 1 r : 1 . . 3
