Wichita eagle., 1889-05-25
OSTRICH FARMING.
How the Bird Of the Beautiful
Plumage Ia Raised
A California Industry That Returns Good
Profits, Though tho Risks Arc GreAS-
Some of the Ways and Charac-
teristics of the Ostrich.

we visited the ostrich farm Over the en-
trance gate are the words: Admission
twenty-five cents" We had been invited
70 look at the rare birds. so our purses were
none the lighter for the visit.
Before US was picketed Enclosure, over
one side of which canvas is tackled, that the
curious passers-by may not have view Of
the ostriches without paying the admission
fee.
Leaving the carriage we walked along to
the far side of the Enclosure. AS we stood
before the fence the keeper gave peculiar
call and the ostriches hurried toward US
We had expected such gre at birds to move
awkwardly. Instead. they move with an
easy, gliding gait not unlike the camels
Perhaps both acquired 1t In the same way
from walking over the deep sands in their
native land.
There must have been twelve or fifteen
ostriches in 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 or ten feet
from the ground.
As we gazed at the strange birds one OF
our party remarked, laaghingly, that the
saying, ga bird in the hand, etc.," seemed
to have lost its meaning.
Standing before eight or ten of the queer
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 80 stilt-
like that, for a time, only scaly, bare legs
and writing necks impressed US.
We offered a few oranges in our out
stretched hands. The necks wriggled 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 passing down through the long,
slender necks. The most fortunate of the
ostriches showed two or three distensions
of the neck.
The birds foot has two toes indeed, it
may be said to have one great toe with
another seemingly undeveloped.
But it is for its plunage that the ostrich
is noted. We turned our attention to the
plumage.
The great bodies are thickly covered with
overlapping feathers, looking somewhat
like thoroughly WORKOUT tips. The male
birds are black; the females brownish
gray.
We were greatly surprised to see the
number of plumes on the wings-not less
than thirty or forty overlapping on the tip
of each wing.
The keeper threw several handfuls of
corn to the ostriches, also some alfalfa "a
kind of hayl. cut up and wet with 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 ex-
clamation Of surprise and delight from each
of us.
The finest, heaviest plumes IN which
women always delight are the tail feathers
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 colors-black,
white and gray-and after cleaning the
feathers are ready for use, if the natural
color is desired or course, the white ones
must be bleached, and if some color other
than those mentioned is desired, it Is OBJ
tanned by dyeing
Attic farm the wing feather may be had
for about s1.50. the prioe varying with the
size of the feathers.
An ostrich egg is about the length OF
ones hand and about as wide, in form like
hens egg, excepting that 1t is less pointed.
1t is heavy in 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 she'll is S1.5Oi The fresh eggs are
not to be had at any price.
Tourists buy the empty eggs. Some deco
rate them for their Eastern homes. But
they would certainly be much more pleas.
ant without the decoration"
Here in California the eggs are Matched
In incubators. We were told that Matched
in this way the young birds made their ap-
pearance after forty days and are then about
the size of hen.
In Africa, the home Of the ostrich, the
eggs are often left for days with no other
heat than that of the sun. Here the nights
are SO cold that the only practicable way of
Matching the eggs is by the use of an incu-
bator
: The birds of which I have been writing
are about four years old, and were imported
from Africa. The length Of time required
to bring eggs to this country from Africa ia
so great that it makes their importation
wholly impracticable.
Should the conditions here prove favorable
to the raising Of the ostrich it ought to be a
very profitable business. Each bird bears
SO many plunes, and these maybe gathered
yearly.
In many localities in Africa where the o.
trich was once found in great numbers, they
are rapidly disappearing before the march
Of civilization.
From early times their plumes have been
admired and worn. The demand for them
seems 10 be increasing rather than dimin-
lshlng Their demand has made what Is
called ostrich farming" very profitable in
Africa. In wild state from five to fifty
may be found together. The nest
Is shallow pit scraped out of the sand with
their feet. In this nest from four TO FIVE
females lay their eggs. When ten to twelve
eggs are LAID the cock begins to brood,
During the night he is surrounded by his
wives. This is presumably to guard the
nest from jackals and other wild animals.
rather than to assist in Matching the eggs, for
they are often left for days to the heat of
the sun only. About thirty eggs are laid
in the nest and as many more are scattered
around it.
Hunters often cover themselves with
masks of ostrich feathers, and in this wav
the shy birds. Only the young
birds are captured.
If the ostrich in Southern California misses
The torrid heat of its native country, it
surely could not desire SUMMER land than
this.
The industry IS il its infancy here. Time
viii tell how profitable it will be when those