Friday, October 13, 2006

Dealing with Rats and Mice - 1909 Style

It has been a while since I looked in my 1909 book of Household Discoveries. I thought I would see how people dealt with rats and mice back then. There are five pages dedicated to the subject! Mostly dealing with rats. Here they are below. Makes for some interesting reading.











Almost makes you want to have rats just so you can get rid of them!
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3 comments:

  1. John10/13/2006 2:24 PM

    Very timely post. I particularly like the ferrets. What do you thing qualifies you as an "expert" in the use of a ferret? Are there classes in that, or is that one of the "lost" arts?

    Also, may I request a "how-to" post? I'd like to shellac all the wood work in our main entry hall and a bathroom ceiling. I know that you have stong feelings for your shellac, and I'm hoping you'd share some tips with us amateurs.

    Thanks!

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  2. Anonymous10/13/2006 3:09 PM

    I had a ferret, and they really are sneaky little guys. They can get in and out of tiny places which I imagine is necessary for rat catching.

    With two highly-strung dogs in the house I never thought I'd have a rodent problem, but while living with us my brother did wake up one morning to a "HUGE" (his words) rodent of some kind crawling across his pillow. He had two cats, neither of whom cared to save him from the attack.

    I have yet to see anything with my own eyes, so I choose to believe my brother was hallucinating. Helps me sleep at night.

    Thanks for sharing, those pages are always good for a laugh!

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  3. Anonymous10/16/2006 5:50 AM

    The Phosphorus / rye meal / butter and sugar recipe sounds like fun but a bit drastic.
    “But remember phosphorus ignites readily by friction, and the rats may carry it into their holes and set the place on fire” !!!

    Yikes!

    I remember hearing years ago about an "ol' time remedy". It recommended mixing a bowl of flour and cement, and putting it out next to a bowl of water.
    Hungry rat eats flour and cement, drinks cus he's thirsty and then dies a horrible daeth as his stomach turns to concrete.
    I can imagine years later finding their mummified remains with a nice little stomach made of concrete in the middle.

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