The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-01-05
OSTRICH RAISING IN AFRICA.
Habits of the Bird that Yields the
Most Valuable of Feathers.

Most Valuable of Feathers.
From the strand Magazine.
IN ostrich farm in South Africa Is a
place well worth visiting. You arrive At
the homestead, 4 square, red brick build
ing with Sigh Of relief and glad Ia be
out Of the binding glare and sandy plain.
On every homestead the same familiar
sights meet the eve. On the one side at
the house stand the kraals; on the other
the shed and wagon house. In the irunt
stands the dam, adjoining the vegetable
garden and lands with further away. the
camp.
Behind the house are the chaa house,
tramp aoor. and butcher : shop. where
the uis-ers are ritioued In the camp
run the large stock aud cattle. U,triehes
and horses, and on the fats aud mountains
the sheep and goats. Ia tins article |
shall enutne my remarks 10 oStreheS- \
well fenced and secure enclosure r. quite
luxury Ia the crlony and u only to be met
with un the wealthier farms the owners
1t which can afford to keep them in repair
and to place in them stock of the most ex-
I.ensive kinds
Every ostrich farmer has his camp.
which varies in sire considerably. from
3 uUa 60 : 0nn acres, and in 1t he keep,
In, $40 birds. a. well a. a few cattle and
horses \ camp Is always selected a. be
INK the best piece "t gazing ground on the
farm aud capable Of holding mere stock ~
proportion than any other part uf the farm.
Here the birls REMAIN. year IN and year
uut. and arr only collected and brought
together un the ayerrge. onre every four
months These OcrAsio1rs arr lci n say,
IN June to pluck the prime Feather hy
these We mean the hong whites, Numbering
tro,u eighteen 20 twenty In each wing,
eight ~ nine fancy feather, and a few
iou.. blacks. al taken at the same time.
-Four u,uugls, later the stuu,ps II these
feathers are drawn uut and two months
later again-JhAt j. six months after the
prine,-,hc ,hort blacks and tail feathers
are taken of Eh,~r 1t = impossible 6"
give any accurate number AS rale,
you pluck A. MANY A. possible without IN
aiCting pam. a. the same Time leaving
enough to keep oui ihe eid-
An ostrich. Ike moct other animals, IN
its Wild state l. terribly afraid Of man ct
uf auy unfamiliar sight. and fees al the
Appearance Of anything new Z" IT. ken.
When ,iomrsticaled II becomes ioeile, and
after time assumes a position ct authority.
4 q shsa
Fr,,m June Ia September, or, in fact, ull
Christmas, thousands Of chicks are reared
every wear and thousands meet with death
every wear from same form ot accideBl.
Chicks up ro twelve months odd die from
variou, maladies. but seldom after they are
fun growu are they the victims ii any
>ickurs,. death usually resulting from
br,ken lee, killed fighting NJ from
scarcity of fosd in times Il drought
The nest Of an ostrich = a very crude
affair. consisting simply Of a Mound hollow
carved uu, ia the sandy ground. Some
time> the female bird may be- seen scratch
ing IN the grcnnd preparatory tn laying her
fr-t eag but this Is not often the ease. the
hollow generally being made by the con
tinuuu> sitting Of tfr birls on the one spot.
tine pair Of birds will las from ten Ia
twenty eg.s. bat, a. j. often the ease.
three or four birds viii ay ia one nest
thus making the number OF eggS mp to
seventy or eighty These Of course, have
20 h, wee,led out, ~ Il bird cannot com
f,rtably coyer more than sixteen eggs the
remainder being thrown uu one side and
left to decay
Forty four DAYS l. the recognized time
allowed for Matching When nest Is
hatehed uut the family are taken nat uf
the camp and brpugh, TO the homestead To
be tanned. where they come IN continual
contact with the farm hands and are
housed at night nut of the reach of wild
animals. During the summer months
they will ln we'll hut in winter when
food becomes Scarter. they should be fed
morning and evening ou barley or rape.
Ii is during the breetAlg season that the
male becomes ~ savage. aud his note OF
defiance. brnoming. as the Dutch call
its heard night and day The bird
initiates hi neck IN cobra like fashion
and gives utterance Ia three deep roars.
The first two are short but the third very
prolonged. Lion hunters all agree in AS
~erting that the roar of the king Of beasts
and the inost foolish of birds resemble one
another almost exactly When the birdr
are properly savage they become great
source Of amusement. or. aS some think. nl
danger. | have seen bird ~ savage a.
To charge seven times in fifteen minutes,
twice receiving the prongs of the fork
through the neck. On horseback one Is
even more obnoxious to an ostrich than on
foot. but 80 long as the horse is not afraid
and viii stand mp to the bird there Is NJ
fear of accident. As he charges, take
care to have your horse well in hand, and
as the bird makes the first strike catch him
by the neck and hold ON for all you re
worth till the bird becomes exhausted from
want of breath and falls
The female bird is seldom vicious.
When she has Il nest OF brood of young
chicks one must he prepared, but her man
ner of charging and whole demeanor Is ;
very mild affair compared to the male ;.
Perhaps it may suggest itself to some o
nv readers What would result. suppos
| ing three or four birds tackled you a
once? Ii Is very rare occurrence TO
more than one bird to charge at time
Should three or four male birds all imagine
at one particular moment that YOU are th'
meat Of each Of them separately they frs