The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-11-23
The California ostrich Farm.

Tx ooN IA - SNSA
The California Ostrich Farm.
The ostrich farm" is a curiosity IN
very respect. 1t is reached by driving
out over a very sandy road from Ana
helm, part of the way over the old BEG
ofthe Santa Ana river, through ielll
thickly strewn W. millions Of yellow
mock orange . land selected 4.
the farm cons ef64O acres of alkai
soil. 1t has on 1t a fine flowing we'll,
whichsis 800 feet deep and bub-
bling up through quartz rock and yielus
many thousands of gallons of water per
day, enough to keep u pretty good sized
brook FLOWING. The we'll has been sunk
several years and the land could be
bought for $40 per acre, but the alkaii
inttheI soil evidently discouraeed nur.
chasers. Doctor Sketchley speaks Of
This with III amusement. Now he has
used the flowing well TO wash the alkali
out of the land. There is much alkali
sol. in Erica, and Doctor Sketchley, be-
ing familiar with it, considered 1T no OH
stacle in his way. He ploughod over a
tract very deep, and then, contrary
to the custom among Ameri-
can owners of alkali land, at
once turned the water on. 1t called the
alkali to the surface, Which was what
he wanted. and then dissolved it. The
water stood about foot deep for d
while, and when it was drawn off it look
the alkali with it. Then the land was
again deeply submerged and the water
was again drawn OF. THAT was.sed the
SOIL" said Doctor Sketchley, land /
think That it viii last for about five years.
OF course by continuing the process all
the alkali can in tim lie washed out"
The ostrich farm planting began only on
April 18th last. Already on this alkali
and three crops of alfalfa have been cut
and Iauda fourth crop is about ready for
cutting.'' That makes it pay better than
vines" said Doctor S%ketchley with a
smile. In addition to the alfalfa other
crops are growing. Cabbages of the most
ROBUST type seem to reyel inthe purified
sol; poplur trees which were struck out
only MS twigs are growing thriltily. Ev-
erythinz promises "ell for vegetation
onthis land, which SO shorta time ago vas
a waste. Doctor Sketctley has prepared
to flood and wash Il much larger area
than is now cultivated. P~ru,iently at
The outset, l.c has prepared a food sup
ply for his teathered pets. Pets? No, they
are not thht, tor ''tley are every one
vicious. after they are three years old.
though when they are chicks they icl
low you about and are SO a~llectionate
that they are a nuisance. They Will
peck at your ears and nose and try to
steal your handkerchief.
Now some people have formed "
Judgment" said Doctor Sketchlev, as he
opened one Of the incubators revealed 9
vast array of bouncing ostrich eggs
therein, ::nat because we have not yet
succeeded in Matching out any ostrichs
here, our experiment is o failure. /
don't tf.ick anything of the sort. Some
chickens have lived thirty days i'll the
eggs out Of the forty-two necessary to
hatch them. But the eggs were not
perfect. The twenty-one birds VIZ have
here, brought by Il roundabout way,
we're transported 22.0OO miles before
they reached their farm. They am
part of the distance by ear, None were
lost on the wav, and more have died ex.
cept the one killed by its mate. When
they reached Anaheim, they Were bind.
folded, having q stocking pulled I've
their heads. Then they were pushed into
airuek provided with board sldings run
ming up seven or eight ieet. When they
are blinded they are tIactable. They
will not kick unless they know what
they are kicking at.
4"This ian transportation was one
drawback. Next, when thew reached
New York, although it was winter there,
it was the middle OF their summer.
Then they are brought out here and
they find another summer II keep
right OH laying. 1t is easy to see that
they may be over-taxed. That the eggs
are not fruitful at once Toes not warrant
any M in saying that the experiment
is a failure. / shall not admit it until a
year at least. AT present the birds are
going through acclimatiaatiou, and are
not thoroughly well, | think. Taking all
things together l see nc reason yet, why
the experiment should not succeed
here. The summer weather is warm
enough; the winter is not SO cold as in
Africa where they thrive. l think that
the climate here is better than in Africa
We have had q temperature of 1p5 de.
grees in the shade hare for the best part
of three weeks, and once it reached l4e
degrees in the sun. Then I took from
the incubator the drawers con.
tanning the eggs and laid them on the
ground in the shade in thu
house, and was warm enough for incu-
baton. For all that, the idea that os-
triches leave the sun to hatch their eggs
is. all bosil. So is the idea thatsthe ostrirl,
es when chased will stick their heads
in the sand thinking that this hides
them. l wish they had that trait, for il
would have saved me much trouble
when ! was out hunting them in the DIES
ert of Africa; but they do no such things
as they have 40 often beer described as
doing. And speaking again of the success
OF our experlinent-itthe eggs should moi
hatch, the value of the feathers viii
cover the expense of tending the birds
tor the year. Should we succeed, and l
think We shall, there will be no stock.
raising in California SO profitable, |
don't care Yhatit is; it will be as good
as gold and silver mining."-San Fran.
cisco Bull tim.