In part it was driven by the sheer amount of food the settlers had stored in their homes. They had to keep many months of food on hand to feed them across the seasons, which gave rats plenty of opportunity to eat and multiply.
Food spoilage by rats was a big issue for pioneer families that didn't have access to money and stores so they could resupply.
And with the last great plague pandemic sweeping the globe in the late 1800's and early 1900's, the settlers had a further strong reason to get rid of rats around their home and farm.
So just like today, they wanted safer ways to get rid of rats.
One technique comes straight from their knowledge and experience with hunting, trapping and fishing. They frequently used attractants as a way of luring game.
Oil of rhodium was highly regarded as an attractant for game. These days it is more commonly used as a fish attractant. The pioneers used it to attract everything from beaver to bears to bobcats.
And it could also be used to draw rats to a trap.
Oil of rhodium comes from the rosewood tree of South America. It's a slow-growing hardwood tree and its oils can only be extracted from mature 40+ year old specimens.
Today the rosewood tree is classified as endangered and the international trade in rosewood is prohibited by CITES. But its by-products are not prohibited and that includes oil of rhodium. You can still buy it.
But there is a more ecologically friendly solution.
Oil of rhodium is 90% linalool.
Linalool is an aromatic turpentine produced by a number of different plant types. It's a major component of perfume, shampoo, soap and aromatherapy treatments.
There are two types of linalool - (S) linalool and (R) linalool. Oil of rhodium is composed of (R) linalool. Other sources of (R) linalool include lavender, laurel and sweet basil, so they may work equally well as attractants for fishing, trapping and vermin.
Another environmentally friendly technique for killing rats is the time-honored plaster of paris recipe. The idea is that plaster of paris is mixed with something that rats like to eat such as sugar, peanut butter or flour.
A dish of water is placed nearby for the rats to drink from.
"whereupon the plaster, brought into contact with the water, will become solid, and like a stone in their stomachs, which will cause their death."
Unfortunately, this technique may be as Looney-Tunes as it sounds.
In 1990 an E.P.A. scientist named W. D. Fitzwater fed rats a 50/50 mix of plaster of paris and dry feed for 14 days. No rats died during or after the test, though it was reported that the rats had sore rectums as a result of passing the plaster.
So if you want to kill rats don't waste your time with plaster of paris.
But if you're looking for a scientifically proven way to become a real pain in the butt, plaster of paris may suit you just fine.
Other vermin killing recipes from the pioneers and settlers can be found at Pioneer Handbooks.
Even if you would never kill a rat, you can still hit the Facebook Like button below and save this how-to from disappearing into history
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