News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-04-18
OSTRICH FARMING.
HOW THE BIRD OF THE BEAU
TIFUL PLUMAGE rs RAISED.
Big Profits, Though the Risks Are
Great Some of the Ways and Char
acteristics of the Ostrich.

Among the many points of interest
about Pasadena, Cal, says correspon-
dent of the Cincinnati En3uirer, is the
Ostrich Farm. 1t is only short ride
from town.
On one of the innumerable sunny,
cloudless days that come to Southern
California we visited the ostrich farm.
Over the entrance gates are the words:
"AdmisSion 25c." We had been invited
to look at the rare birds, so our purses
were none the lighter for the visit.
Before us was picketed inclOsure,
over one side of which canvas is tackled,
that the curious passers-by may not
have a view of the ostriches without
paying the admission fee.
Leaving the carriage we walked
around to the far side of the inclosure.
As we stood before the fence the keeper
gave q peculiar call and the ostrichcs
hurried toward us. We had expected
such great birds to move awllwardly.
Instead, they move with an casy,- gliding
gait not unlike the camels. Pehaps
both acquired it in the same way-from
walking over the deep sands in their ma
tive land.
There must have been twelve OF fifteen
ostriches i'll the corral They are strange
looking creatures, with long, bare legs,
broad, fat bodies, and long, serpent
like necks, well suited to their small
heads and bright eyes, The body of
the ostrich is from four to five feet high,
and the head rises high above the back,
eight OF ten feet from the ground.
As we gazed at the strange birds one
of our party remarked, hughingly, that
the saying, ga bird i'll the hand, - etc,
seemed to have lost its meaning.
Standing before eight OF ten of the
! queen birds, with their small heads
darting here and there, by the quick
| twists and curves of the snake like necks,
is enough to make one uncomfortable.
The legs are so stilt-like that, for time,
only scaly, bare legs and writhing necks
/ impressed us.
We offered few oranges in our out
stretched hands. The nccks wrigglcd
over the high fence and quickly the
oranges were snatched from our open
hands and swallowed whole. We know
that this is true, for we saw them pass
ing down through the long, slender
necks. The most fortunate of the os-
triches showed two or three distensions
of the neck.
The birds foot has two toes-indecd,
it may be said to have one great toe
with another seemingly undevelopcd.
But it is for its plumage that the os
trich is noted. The great bodies are
thickly covered with overlapping feath-
ers, looking somewhat like thoroughly
worn out tips The male birds arc black
the females brownish gray. We were
greatly surprised to see the number of
splumes on the wings-nOt less than
thilty or forty overlapping ON the tip of
each wing.
The keeper threw several handfuls of
corn II the ostriches, also some alfalfa
(a kind of hay), cut up and wet with I
water They seemed greedy, but we
were told it did not require great deal
to keep them.
While the heads were darting about
for the feed ON the ground the keeper
lifted one of the wings and ran his hand
through the mass of feathers, calling
forth an exclamation of surprise end de |
light from each of lis.
The finest, heaviest plUmes in which !
women always delight are the tail feath-
ers-the soft white ones are from the
tail of the male bird. Long white
feathers also tip the wings of the male, |
but the most of his wing feathers are |
black. These are the three natural col !
ors-black, white, and gray-and after
cleaning the feathers are ready for
use, if the natural color is desired. OF |
course the white ones must be b!eached, |
and if some colcr other than those men
toned is desired, it is obtained by dye |
ing.
At the farm the wing feather may be
had for about $3.50, the price varying |
with the s.ze of the feathers.
An ostrich egg is about the length of
ones hand and about as WIDE in form .
like hens egg, excepting that it is less
pointed. 1t is heavy i'll proportion to
its size, for the shell is very thick; in
appearance it is like porcelain. We saw
three shells "blown out" like Easter
eggs. The price of the empty shell is
$1.50. The fresh eggs are not to be had
at any price.
Tourists buy the empty eggs. Some
decorate them for their Eastern homes.
But they would certainly be much more
pleasant without the decoration.
Here in California the eggs are hatch
ed in incubators. We were told that
Matched in this way the young birds
made their appearance after forty days
and are then about the size of n hen.
eggs are often left for days with no other
nights are so cold that the only practic-
able way of Matching the egg is by the
use of an incubator.
The birds of which I have been writ
ing are about four years old, and were
imported from Africa The length of
time required to bring eggs to this coun-
t,.v f,,or, fI-ino ic o1.oot tbot ~ |
their importation wholly impracticable.
Should the conditions here prove fa-
vorable TO the raising of the ostrich it
ought to be very profitable business
Each bird bears so many plumes, and
these may be gathered yearly.
In many localities in Africa, where
the ostrich was once found i'll great
they are rapidly disappearing
before the march of civilizat on
From early times their plumes have
been admired and worn. The demand
for them seems to be increasing rather
than diminishing. Their demand has {
made what is called "ostrich farming
very profitable in Africa. In Il wild I
state from five to fifty oStriches may be
found together. The nest is shallow
pit scraped out of the sand with their
feet. In this nest from four to five fe- ]
males lay their eggs. When ten to l
twelve eggs are laid the cock begins to
brood. During the night he is sur,
by his wives. This is presuma- '
bly, to guard the nest from iackals and
other wild animals, rather than to assist J
in Matching the eggs, for they are often t
left for days to the heat of the sun only. 6
About thirty eggs are laid in the nest, I
and as many more are scattered around
it.
Hunters often cover themselves with
masks of ostrich feathers, and in this
way approach the shy birds. Only the .
young birds are captured. =,