Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-08-19
Worlds Fair Notes.
Special WORLD Correspondence.
THE OSTRICH FARM.

THE O6THlCH EAhM.
There is something peculiarly inter-
esting about an ostrich. In looking at
the huge bird I cannot help thinking of
those extinct creatures which lived so
many years ago, and wonder is the
ostrich a lineal descendant of some
mammoth bird, as the Pterodactyl for
instance, and will it soon pass from the
bird kingdom to be followed, maybe, by
creature little smaller, but higher
still IN the scale of birdology.
There were about thirteen large
ostriches in the farm and they were all
named after people of more or less prom
inence. There were James G. Blaine,
Roscoe Conkling, Susan B. Anthony;
"and now" said the keeper, ''here is
our best and fastest runner; what is his
manner" Some one timidly suggested
Benjamin Harrison. SO, no." said the
keeper-"didn't Grover Cleveland beat
him?"
The birds seemed so perfectly tame
they would walk around the keeper
cycling him curiously, even impudently,
as though they felt their superiority, in
their kingdom at least. But though
they are very large and strong do not
believe they can bite any harder than an
old gander, for the lower half of their
bill seems more like piece of cartilage,
being flexible and easily bent. However
they are said to defend themselves with
their feet.
James G. Blaine weighed 800 lbs. and
was fine looking bird. Most of these
birds are grey or dirty white in color.
A few have black plumes in wings or
tail. You never see an ostrich plume
as it comes naturally from off the bird.
They are all dyed and then curled,
being straight naturally except in the
tips of wings and few in the tail.
There is nothing pretty about an ostrich
though somehow you are bound to have
sort of respect for bird who can walk
up to you and look into your eyes on a
level with his own. That they are in
tellectual, one poor ostrich proved, on
the preceding day, by dying with the
brain fever
This farm is private, California ex-
hibit. Here you see live birds, the pat
ent incubator for Matching chicks and
also few eggs. In the Cape Colony
exhibit you see wonderful amount of
ostrich egg shells decorated after our
Easter fashions, stuffed ostriches and
some tanned skins of the birds, with
the feathers on. From the Cape Colony
exhibit l received some statistics in re-
gard to ostrich farming which were very
interesting to me, because it is an in
dustry so different from anything we
meet with ordinarily. Then it is bust
ness which is purely for fashion and of
course its market huctuates as Dame
Fashion DEGREES that one, or a half a
dozen feathers are to be worn on q hat.
Prior to 1850 the ostrich was killed and
plucked. They seemed so big and un-
wieldy that it had not seemed possible
to domesticate them. Not till the in
vention of the incubator did ostrich
farming really seem to open way to
wealth. Now it is an established indus
try with perhaps no more risk than in
many other products where prices are
regulated by supply and demand. In
the year 1882, when feathers were the
highest quoted, there were exported
from the Cape of Good Hope 9253, 1854
of feathers at 7e It's per lb. amounting
to 81, 103,O80 In 1891 there were ex-
ported 198,O46 lbs. at 9e rs. per Id. 1
give these in English money as they
were given me. The boys and girls can
figure it.
SITTING BULLS LOG CABIN.
There are great many North Ameri
can Indians on the ground but none
more interesting, and perhaps none so
well known as his savage excellency
Rain-in-the-Face who holds forth here.
This is an exhibit and not bazaars as
are the wigwams of the Penobscot.
The Tuscaroras and the Senecas which
you find over in the fair ground near
the lake, are neighbors to the Indian
school. Here in this cabin is Sitting
Bulls picture, his life, or autobio-
graphy as he wrote it in Indian hyero-
gliphtics on skin preparation the pur-
pose, his weapons and other relics
loaned by his people. There is no fake
about this exhibit, the relics are rare
and interesting; you get with each
history or narrative that can not fail to
entertain, for these Indian stories come
home to western people for they are
told by western people who know where
of they speak and they are vouched for
by real Indian scout who assists the
management in entertaining the public. |
One must not stop too long at one
Dlaoo for time land mopaul fol-o x,ivou