A rat-proof farm is not necessarily one in which the entire farmstead is absolutely proofed, but rather one where conditions are so unfavorable for any invading rats that they either will desert the premises of their own accord or may be easily routed by man or dogs. The source of the trouble on almost any heavily rat-infested farm can be traced directly to conditions that furnish rats safe refuges near abundant food. The commoner of these rat-breeding places are beneath wooden floors set a few inches off the ground in poultry houses, barns, stables, granaries, corncribs, and even residences; in piles of fuel wood, lumber, and refuse; in straw, hay, and manure piles that remain undisturbed for long periods beneath concrete floors without curtain walls; and inside double walls of buildings. In rat proofing the farmstead as a whole, attention should first be paid to the premises outside the buildings and later to each building separately.
Figure 1.--An automatic garbage can, always closed]
Neatness is of prime importance in keeping a place free from, rats, and providing facilities for keeping it neat should be considered part of the rat-proofing program. An incinerator, which can be made from a discarded metal drum or rolled-up poultry netting, is convenient for burning all trash and combustible waste; and a deep, covered pit with a trapdoor will take care of tin cans and other noncombustibles, if it is not practicable to haul them away at regular intervals. A covered garbage can is also indispensable on farms where table scraps are not fed directly to poultry or hogs. (Fig. 1.) Raised platforms, 18 or more inches high, should be provided upon which to pile lumber or other materials that if placed on the ground would afford shelter for rats. (Fig. 2.)
Large piles of cut stove wood on many northern farms become rat infested. The same is true of manure piles adjoining barns and, to a lesser extent, of hay and straw stacks near farm buildings. These do not provide food and are attractive to rats for harbors only if near a source of food supply; moving them to a place at some distance from where foodstuffs are handled will usually solve the problem.
Stone walls at times furnish excellent harborage for rats but, like the woodpile, only if there is ample food near by. Stone walls supporting embankments and driveways on sloping farmsteads are most frequently infested, and when this occurs the inviting openings can usually be readily closed with small stones and cement.
