Important: Safety Warning
This page recommends pest-control substances such as arsenic compounds, strychnine, or cyanide — in some cases applied to food crops. These substances are lethal to humans and animals, and their use is now banned or strictly controlled.
In addition, this page describes practices involving highly flammable materials in ways that create a serious risk of fire or explosion.
In addition, this page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
In addition, this page uses white phosphorus applied to live animals and directs sealing a room while burning brimstone. White phosphorus ignites spontaneously in air and is acutely poisonous; burning sulphur fills the space with sulphur dioxide, which is dangerous to breathe.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Home › The Flower And Kitchen Garden › To Drive Rats from a Building
To Drive Rats from a Building
Dissolve 2 ounces glue, 2 ounces tincture of assafœtida, and 2 ounces potash in water, and add 1/2 ounce phosphorus to the mixture. Then thoroughly, and set in the centre of the room in a wire cage trap, baited with corn meal a dish containing 4 ounces of brimstone. scented with oil of anise, catch two wo or three Light it and close the room as tight as possirats; if they are very numerous, more will ble, stopping the keyhole of the door with pabe necessary; singe the hair partly off these per, to keep the fumes of the brimstone in the in such a way as to hurt them as little as pos- room. Let it remain for 3 or 4 hours, then thoil open the windows and air thoroughly. The brimstone will be found to have also bleached the paint if it was a yellowish white. sible, then give them a slight coating with the above mixture, heated warm; let them loose into their holes, and there will be no more trouble with the rats for months to