Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-06-08
OSTRICH FARMING IN CALI
FORNIA.
cred Pets-Their Diet and Peculiar
Habits

Doctor Sketchley, in speaking of his
success when he was engaged in ostrich
farming in Africa said: 81 began with
three pairs of birds; in eight years my
flock numbered thousands. Then the Boer
war came on. l was loyal subject to
the Queen. While on the battle field the
flocks were broken and scattered, and
many birds lost" The English government
paid him poorly for his loss, and he came
to this country hoping to retrieve it. He
thinks favorably of southern California as
field for his operations. Others who
had been associated with him went to New
Zealand and Australia.
The doctor laughed as he pointed to a
luxurious field of alfalfa, and said it would
be hard to believe that that field, and in
fact the whole ranch, was once barren
waste and called s'the desert region"
The soil was full of alkali; people were
discouraged and would not buy at any
price; I selected 74O acres of this alkali
| land" There is much alkali land in AT
RIGA, and the doctor being familiar with
that kind Of soil, considered it no obsta-
Gle. There is fine flowing well which is
3OS feet deep. The water comes bubbling
up through quartz rock and yields thous-
ands of gallons of water per day. 81 be-
gam" said he 'sto experiment by blowing
very deep. And then, contrary to the
| usual American custom, / at once turned
the water on, and allowed it to remain
for two weeks. When the water was
drawn off it took the alkali with it, and
that was what 1 wanted and again put
the land to soak under eighteen inches OF
water and washed the soil so thoroughly
that it will last for five years. By con
tinuing the process all of the land can be
made free from alkal."
Everything promises well for vegeta
ton Anaheim is noted for choice grape.
and sem-tropical fruits of all kinds
Beautiful shade trees, such as the peppe
tree with it's fern-like leaves and graceful
branches, seem to revel in the purified
soil.
| w WClC lhNitCu w IhopCCO GLC lhSuOo
tor house; truly it is sight worth see
ing. Two large incubators contained 13,
ostrichs' eggs which were incubated arti
ficially. Near at hand in bin were
large number of eggs that We're imper
feet, and would not hatch. Dr. Sketchle
took one of the eggs that would not hate
, and handed it to bystander who handles
, it very carefully; the doctor laughed
, took the egg and blew it with great fore
at cluster of eggs in the bin; the blow
egg bounded off unbroken. cit has bee
ascertained," said the doctor, ''that tn
ostrich leaves the sun to hatch their eggs
, That is all nonsense. If the ostrich is a
lowed to incubate and take care of thei
chicks, they will lay only thirty eggs no
they lay ninety. In addition to this th
birds will bring out only about ten chick
from fifteen eggs; the incubator has bee
2 known to bring lightweight chicks out {
E ninety eggs. 1t has been said, and is be
lieved by many people, that ostriche
when chased will stick their heads in til
sand, thinking they are safe. That is nc
true. If they had that trait, should nc
3 have had so much trouble during the ele'
4 en- months was hunting birds in the A
O rican desert" He gave very interes
!. ing account OF his experience aud tt
manner of conducting the ''chase." I'll
: birds have to be hunted scientifically. Ce
J, tain facts are known: First, that the biz
It will always run in a semi-circle; secondl
y they will run with the wind so that tn,
may use their wings to help them alons
o and after they get what sailor won
call ''ahead wind" they go around Il
= other way. The next operation is to III
Is the bird down. The successful hunt
= mounts a fleet horse and the chase begin
), One horse cannot run the bird down; Z
= great trouble is to keep the bird in sigf
- They will run forty miles at stretc
II they get breathing spell they will G
!" away. To prevent this, the hunter is
L sisted by bushman boy, who rides ia
!. horse and leads fresh horse for the hui