The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-11-20
OSTRICH FARMING.
Adorn the Hats of Wealthy Bellies.

Adorp the Hats of Wealthy Bellies.
A letter from Cape Colony, South
Africa, says: The courts of fashion
would be stinted in their materials of
magnificence were it not for the ivory,
the diamonds, and the ostrich feathers,
which take high rank in the merchan-
disc of South Africa. Ostrich feathers
are now quite rs n uch the product of
regulated human labor as wool, mohair
or silk. Twelve or fifteen years ago os-
trich farming was unknown here. To
obtain its beautiful and much coveted
plunlage the bird was hunted down and
killed. Under this process the os-
trich was fast approaching annihila-
ton. For some time before the
plan was resorted to of domesticating
the ostrich, this great creature was q
rare bird in Cape Colony. The hunter
whether white or black, pursued his
murderous calling during the proper
season for the sport, which is business /;
and also, ut the proper season for barter,
the trader appeared at some established
place in the interior, with his wagons
laden with guns, powder, blankets,
wire, beads, brandy, and other attrac-
tions for the native eye and appetite,
and brisk exchange took place. Ivory
mus teeth, and the ostrich feathers were
gladly accepted for merchandise. The
departure of great trader with his
train of six or eight wagons, all gayly
painted and costly covered with snow
white canvass, as.and still is an occur
renee often seen here. AS the drivers
snap their long whips, and the voyagers
move briskly away, with eight yoke of
oxen to each wagon, all eyes are upon
them with the look given 10 far voyeg-
ing ships when they leave port. Not
unfrequently the costly wares are sold at
auction on the morning market, and the
tusks, teeth, skins, horns and feathers
are spread out upon the ground as if
they were no more costly than garden
produce. 1t is of no uncommon thing
to seen wagon cargoes worth $50, 900 ex-
hibited in this way amid crowd of
lookers-on, some of whom are almost as
wild as the animals which produced
the spoils, and as black rs coal.
The domesticated ostrich is allowed
to roam over large farms. Cape farms
are very large-about 5000 acres each.
Huge tracts of land are unoccupied.
The traveller might journey for days
without seeing an ostrich, and yet there
are now about 80, 1000 domesticated birds
in Cape Colony. One gentleman in
Graft Runett told me that his birds
averaged him Els sterling, or S75 each
per year. A gentleman of large experi-
ence in GrahamstOwn, who has 300
ostriches, told me that his flock net him
S72 per year, each bird.
The season for pairing is the month
of July-answering to January in New
England. Polygamy prevails among
the wild birds. One male often has
five fem ales to his share; and a com.
mon establishment is kept up, the eggs
are all laid in one nest, and the male
bird and his hens take upon themselves
the labor of setting upon the eggs by
turns during incubation, In the open
desert in many parts of Africa, north of
this latitude, where the heat exceeds
that OF the Cape, the wild ostrich
merely leaves her eggs to be Matched,
unmatched, by the heat of the sand.
Here it is otherwise. Ostrich farmers
usually pair male and female bird to-
gether; some pair two females with one
male. August is the laying time, and
eggs continue to be deposited in one
nest for six weeks. During that period
tabout twenty eggs are laid. In natural
incubation the male bird takes his part
with regularity. At night he stalks
around the female, grazing little as he
goes--as policemen are supposed to do
when on their beat.
The young birds begin to feather at
eight months from Matching; but the
yield then is poor and of little value. In
another eight months the crop is better
and the plumes become better with each
season. Chicken feathers are worth
Sl.2O per pound, and "blood feathers -
from $3.50 to SO per pound. Twelve
years ago chicks could be bought for
Sl.20 each, now the veriest chick, fresh
from the egg, will sell for S24, and
after few months from $40 to $50 each.
Some pairs, three years old. sell from
5000 to $500 pair. 1t is estimated that
t7O,OOO sterling worth of feathers are
exported from Cape Colony monthly
OF about 1000, 600 worth per year.
Two Americans have lately been here
looking into the business, with view
of introducing the ostrich into the
United States. One farmer here, a Mr..
Douglass, reared from six breeding
birds four hens and two male BIRDS
l30 birds in one year. The eggs were
Matched by an artificial incubator
They should be worth, overall expenses
at least $4,000.