Water Valley progress., October 09, 1909, Image 3

About Water Valley progress. (Water Valley, Miss.) 1882-1918

Image provided by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

                
RAT IS A-PROBLEM
PROBABLY THE WORBT MAMMA
LIAN PEST KNOWN TO MAN.
Destroy* Property Worth Millions *<
Dollars Every Year and Dlassm
Inatss Bubonic Plague—Stud
ied by Biological Si/rvey.
The rat Is believed to be the worst
mammalian pest known to man. Not
only does It destroy property worth
millions ot dollars every year, but It
Is now known to be the principal
agent in disseminating bubonic
plague. This is not a contagious dis
ease in the ordinary sense. The In
fection is spread from rat to rat and
from rat to man solely by means ot
the rat flea.
The United States depat tment ol
agriculture, through Its biological sun
vey, has recently given the rat prob
lem serious attention. The results ol
that work have appeared in a bulls
tin on "The Brown Rat.” There are
several species of rats, but the com
mop house or barn rat, the so-called
"Norway rat” Is the most widespread
and by far the most destructive. By
means of ships it has been carried to
almost every part of the world, and
wherever landed It has proceeded to
make itself at home.
The species has wonderful adapta
bility to climatic and other conditions.
In North America It Is found from
Panama to the Tukon valley and to
Greenland.
The rat’s bill of fare Includes al
most everything eaten by man, and a
considerable number of thlngB not in
cluded in human, dietaries, as,-for -in
stance, carrion,' mlcei kid gloves, ivory
iw^eeuawre rAjw* w wf
Union Pacific Passenger Dpirl>
ment announces that Colonist Pans
will be in eBect from Sept. IS to Oet
IS, 1909, to all points' In the Wait and
Northwest
This pear tbe West looks more
promising than ever. Now is the time
to secure land at low prices, and. at
the same time, to visit the manp inter
esting points In the Wist and North
want. at which liberal stopover ar
rangements map be made.
A better estimate ot raw lands can
be made now than formerlp, because
these lands are in prozlmitp to new
farms that are producing - wonderful
crope.
Par descriptive literature, writ*
to EL L. Lomax, O. P. A., U. P. R. R.,
Omaha, Neb
THE TROUBLE.