West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1893-07-13

Description or the Novel Industry OF
Southern California.

Soutuern CalitOrntn.
In Southern California and on
the Pacific coast of the Unito6
States, ostrich farming has already
been developed to point of prof.
tableacss, and the plains OF the in
terror, where not too arid, ought to
provide suitable grounds for keep.
ing these birds, which require enor-
nous areas for running in.
One who for years has been Gu
gagged in tho business in Southern
California, recently told reporter
of the Star that "tho habits of the
ostrich are thoroughly well under
stood nowadays through the obscr-
walton of domcsticated specimens.
Perhaps the most extraordinary
fact about the bird is that il il the
male that does most Of the setting.
He selects convenient hollow in
the ground, or scrapes out one, and
tramples it into saucer shaped
nest about six feet in diameter.
The female lays her eggs pretty
much in the ncighborhood of the
nest, and her mate takes care that
they are collected. During his
time for setting he is exceedingly
pugnaclous and very formidable
animal to encounter. The kick of
the bird, which is its means OF fight
ing, IS enormously powerful--sufii. :.
GENTLY so, in fact, to disable man
and very likely kill him ut one
blow.
"Ostrich farming is not an in
dustry altogether new to the world.
The birds were certainly domcsti-
Gated very anciontly and were
don ubtless plucked for their feathers.
though probably they were not bred
in confinement. More than cen.
tury age many farmers in South
Africa had tame ostriches on their
farms, allowed to feed at large.
which supplied their owners with
plnmes that were made into brooms
for mosquito fans. Various tribes
IN Africa have for an unknown
length of time kept ostriches for
feathers, bartering with them for
cloth and other commodities. The
most beautiful of the plumes are
obtained from the wings, aud one
reason for the great usefulness of
the incubator is that many of the
feathers are apt to be spoiled during
the operation of sitting on the
eggs.
"For some reason not very well
understood tame ostrich feathers
are less beautiful, and, therefore,
bring a lower price price in the
market than those of the wild os-
trich, but the wild bird is disap.
peariug so rapidly that the tame
will have the market TO himself be.
fore long.
"When the season for plucking
arrives my birds are driven into
narrow pen, where they are so
tightly crowded as not to be able to
move, while the operator stands on
n platform outside aud cuts of the
plumes close 70 the flesh. Tie
very valuable feathers on the wings
there are about twelve i'm each
wing, and they often retail for as
much as $40 apioce--must be taken
before they arc quite matured. Their
growth has to be Watched, 80 ~ to
get them at their best. Most per-
feet, and, therefore, most costly, OF
all ostrich feathers are those
brought from Aleppo and obtmned
from the birds Of the Syrian Desert.
They arc very rare. Next IN order
Of quality are those from Tripoli,
from Senegal, from Egypt, from
Morocco and from South Africa.
The difference between a wild and
tame feather is immediately per.
ceptible to a connoisseur. While
the tame feather is much sitter, II
has not The natural, graceful fall Of
the wild feather, and, even when
dressed and curled, IL becomes stiff
again after a while. Farm, Ficld
SfOckm0n.
z .-
John Hoey invented, by accident,