Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-15

Where and How They are Ratsed-PrO.
gress OF the Industry-Facfs and Ffc.
ttons About the LonG-Lexged Birds.
G. F. Holder in the san FrSnciscoCa
recently took a sixty-miIe horseback ride &c
visit the ostrich farm, Southern California;
new industry, and, after investigating the bust
ness, feel inclined 10 answer the many young
men who write me from the east as to the bust
ness opportunities in Southern California, thai
if they have $50, 900 or sac, 900 unemployed
to come out and invest 1t in the ostrich, that is
Popularity supposed TO hide its head in the sand
when alarmed and to devour tin cans and pow
dered glass. The ostrich farm is about six
miles from Fulton Wells, q few miles from Ana
helm and NOrwalk on the Southern Pacific six
miles from the blue waters of the Pacific ocean
and about twenty from Los Angeles. The sx
pertinent was attempted by DIR. sketchley, just
three years ago this month The doctor had
been in the business in South Africa. but re.
peated disaster from the raids of the Zulus and
various natives caused him to look for another
Held The southern California climate seemed
the most favorable, and when he presented
certain San Francisco capitalists with the state
ment that H4O,OOO.OO0 was invested in the
business in Cape Colony alone, with perhaps
as much more In Orange Free state, the
Irsnsvaal aud Natal. and that 81 100000
worth OF feathers were exported annually,
half coming To this country, on which we
twenty-five on dressed feathers, the gentlemen
Immediately formed the California Ostrich
Farming company. Thirty thousand dollars
wss subscribed, and Drsketchley nmediatsIy
went To Africa for his birds, and imported
twenty-five at considerable EXPENSE have
seen 1t expressed at 81 800 apiece, landed at
the farm This would seem excessive, COM
pared TO the prices paid for birds oy the Berlin
the fact that to protect the Industry the south
African government has, since November,
1854, imposed an export duty OF $500 on
every bird, aud S125 ON each egg. which makes
the original Investment for stock purposes
large. The birds arrived in fine condition. and
in three years they have increased tosixty-four,
learn. much
raise than chickens, AS the latter in this cOun-
try seem To have various ills TO battle against
THE OSTRICH RANCH
presents an attractive appearance, from the ex-
IRENE neatness OF its arrangements, and is q
large corral, embracing about two hundred
acres, divided up into many smaller ones, the
house of the gentlemen In charge being i'm tine
centsr. A nominal entrance fee is charged.
and the guide takes the parties around ex-
planning the methods and greatly adding to the
interest OF the visit Upon entering, two large
corrals are seen, In which were birds three or
four years old, walking about with a mincins
gait. They were perfectly tame and pecked al
my hands with evident curiosity. Any bright
OBJECT especially attract their attention. Ionce
saw an ostrich In Central Park deity pick -
bonnet from lady's head. 1t succeeded In
swallowing a green veil before il could he
fsscued. and a day later attended the autopsy:
the vel had proved too much. L mad often
watched this ostrich pick up English sparrows
cevOuring them, feathers and all These
small birds would crowd upon the iced
ing trough utterly Obliyious OF the ostrich
that picl ed them off at leisure and 80 quickly
that the others did Eot seem to notice it.
The southern half OF the farm Is devoted to the
breeding pens, with tHe exception of one corral
that held hock of young that raised their
wings, - they are alleged to do while sailing
IA the DESERT and ran quickly away, presenting
curious appearance The breeding pens were
numbered from one Up, each being "A separate
enclosure The females were smaller than the
males, and of brownish gray hue. while the
latter, that stood at least or eight feet in
height, were distinguished by their darker or
black plumage the wings and tail being white
We're in
males aggressive, and the demonstrations of
rage Of the males during the breeding time are
said To be amusing. AS the guide approached
corral containing a large male IL advanced
toward him, and upon finding it could not
reach him settled back upon its knees and
commenced most grotesque performance
thTowln. its head back that it struck vio-
lently upon one side of its body and then upon
the other. the wings being thrown about in a
similar manner alternating with the neck.
1T Is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS To ENTER
CORRAL,
the powerful leg with its two claws one two
inches in length, being capable of killing man
by Il forward kick. Even horses have been
disembOwelled by the birds in Africa Dr. Liv-
ingstone once saw a native instantly killed by
an ostrich. and NerreauX records similar case
At the time of my visit female was laying
and in another corral a pair were nesting The
female sits all day, the male relieving her at
shutdown. The nest In. this corral was mere
shallow hollow in the sand, about four feet in
diameter and SIX or eight Inches deep. In their
Wild state the birds lay about ten eggs but on
tie ranch they lay from fourteen "a sixteen
and when the eggs are taken for use in the in-
cuDator as many as thirteen are obtained. The
ess> are laid every other day, and good first
class birds often lay three patches a year, or
ABOUT ninety eggs, Weighing in all about three
hundred and sixty pounds, the average egg
welshin. from three and half To four pounds
4 ne average number OF chicks per year Is about
seventy. Much appears to depend upon the
feeding OF the birds. About 100 acres of the
farm are given over to alfalfa Qucernel Forty
pounds oi this green food is given to each bird
daily, and the breeding birds fed twice a
day regularly. This forty pounds is exclusive
OF corn, cabbage. carrots and turnips that is
also given them in greater or less quantities
i he farm team goes 10 the seashore once a
week Tor a load Of shells, which are ground up
about nine or ten tons of fodder a year.
In entering the pen of the breeder, a ten-foot
pole with crotch at the end of it is used, and
"hen tue male charges the crotch il pushed
against the neck. In pluoking, the birds are
run into Il small enclosure, so that they can
Not Kick, and sometimes the men rush in on
them and hold them in a rough and tumble
Full grown birds pucked every seven or
eight months. each bird of both sexes producing
anOut twenty-five p!umes, valued at from So to
- each on the bird Chicks are not Pucked be-
i9re the seventh month; and when two years old
the feathers are worth about 81 apiece, and
when nearly four they produce perfect feathers
lne Tact tnat the ostrich Will live nearly one
hundred years and breed when over eighty;
that there Il no sickness to which il is
liable here, and that IL increases rapidly points
To the assumption that America will soon pro-
CucC her own feathers. The ostrich farm here
y no longer an experiment. and DIR. Sketchley
Is now Oh his way here from Africa with an
other lot OF birds that 10 be established lear
Pasadena. IL is said
In Africa the ostrich industry ranges next to
the diamond. and enormous fortunes have been
made since 1865, when farming was first COM
lneEc"u II that country. About the same plan
l. adopted IS here. The large farms are divided
INTO t'rO branches; one raises feathers the other
BIRDS for sale On farms where the birds lay
more esss Than can be covered the remainder
are Matched by an incubator. A South African
authU:i,y saws: 'One set OF three Dirds-a cock
a al two hens-during the period from June so,
1877 10 June 30, 1878, laid 1SS eggs, which
l-ntuced 133 chicks Of these b died, leaving
lI@ young birds OF these, "A were sold al three
months oiG at 90 each, anu, allowing the re-
manning Al 10 be worth only $50 each. we have
. return Ci $3.50 !rOin one Set of birds. The
next year the same set laid II 3 egas, producing
.. chicks, and the first six months OF The third
year they laid 81 eggs, producing 81 chicks,
being over 50 per cent" ostrich farming Is
carried on successfully IN Algeria and Buenos
Ayres, and even in Africa tie business was not
originated by the whites, certain tribes having
Kept O>tFichcs tor their feathers for long time
anu even used artificial incubation. The tribes
OF SOuds.n, TIE upper Senegal, and the Algerian
frontiers, raise them we do chickens, the
birds wandering about the camp perfectly
tame, following the men the march and
when leaving the camp al day returning again
al night
PECULIARITIES OF THE BIRD
The male ostrich utters a sound that so re-
semules the roar OF a lion that il is difficult to
distinguish between them, and SO loud and
penetrating j. il that il can be heard three
An1Icin, male uttered the roar, swelling up
Is neck, and having heard the roar OF the lion
should readily nave taken 1T for that. The oS-
l zen ~ It's native state Is a remarkable runner,