The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-19
Men With a Gift for
Making It Can Find
1t Anywhere.

was cheap, and In the course of years he en-
larged the bounds Of the few modest acres
with which he began business until today he
owns what is said to be the second largest
coffee plantation in the world. He has / $780,
600 coffee trees in bearing 9,7S5 acres of
land upon which he gives constant employ
all the improvements in the way Of houses
stores bakeries, and on, is said to be
worth over 100000. The few hundred dol
lars with which he started to make his for
tune in that far-away land has been nur-
tured with splendid results. Still, this is the
very land from which the Canadians have
recently been assisted to return, as they
could not make living there. The truth
is that they went to Brazil without knowing
the conditions before them or how to meet
them, and they failed of course. When men
cannot get along we'll in a new country 1t
is not always the fault Of the country.
In the middle Of this century the leading
biologists who had given attention to the
subject declared that the domestcation Of
the ostrich was Utopian idea. AS late as
1861 the well-known naturalist Of France, NJ
Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, declared that
II the domestication of the ostrich was not
absolutely impossible, 1t would at least be a.
matter Of extreme difficulty and in com
mercial sense could never be practicable In
MS opinion their young could not be raised
IN state of captivity. If this were true,
1t simply meaLt the determination Of the
ostrich in a few decades more. The great
demand for ostrich feathers was supplied
wholly from wild birds whose plumage was
animals. The ostrich was already in about
half of his former habitat in Africa A lit
tie later, however, DR.. Gosse a member OF
the Societe d'Acclimation of Paris wrote a.
pamphlet controverting the idea that the
ostrich could not be domesticated and about
the same a brood of ostriches was reared
in the city of Algiers.
The pamphlet and the news of the probab1e
success Of the experiment in Algiers came
into the possession of two farmers in Cape
Colony, one Of whom was Mr.. MacKinnear,
who came to be known as the chief promoter
OF the domestication Of ostriches in South
Africa In 1864 these two farmers placed
two oStriches in captivity, including large
proportion of young This was the beginning
OF ostrich farming, and these two farmers
were benefactors of their race and of South
Africa because they had discovered a new
industry, which was destined to play most
important part In the commerce Of a vast
region A constantly increasing area of South
Africa that is not well adapted to any other
form Of industry Is being devoted to this
profitable business. Ostrich farming was
greatly stimulated by the invention of Mr.
Douglass, an incubator, which has proved a
perfect success. With the use of this egg
Matching appliance Mr.. Douglass, in ten
years, increased his original flock of eleven
birds to 900. This useful animal is no longer
in danger OF determination. The feathers now
come mostly from domesticated birds that
are not killed to procure the plumage, and,
in 1885, the latest statistics at hand Sc 600
900 worth Of feathers, from $50 600 birds were
sent abroad from the ostrich farms of Cape
Colony.
The other day the writer received a letter
| from former newspaper employe in New
York city, whose name he is not at liberty
to mention. He had just arrived in the Car
oline Island group Of the Pacific, where he
will probably spend the rest of his days;
and if all the facts that took him there were
told they would make a romantic story. 1t
is enoguh to say that over thirty years ago
his uncle, a common sailor before the mast
while the vessel on which he served was at
the Carolines, decided that there was fine
chance OreDarlng
the standard article of commerce from which
cocoanut oil is made, and by supplying what
the natives wanted of foreign manufactures.
AS soon as he could, he returned to the
islands with few hundred dollars worth Of
trade goods. and from that day to this he
has never been seen in America though his
business has taken him. now and then, to
Hong Kong and Australia. There are few
men in the Pacific who today wealthy
as this old sailor Probably there is no other
individual operator who carries on so large
a business. He requires feet of thirty small
sailing vessels in his enterprises among the
little islands of this large group and foreign
ports For some time he has felt. with grow
ing years, desire to shift portion of his
responsibilities and, instead of selling out
he decided to associate with himself his
brother and nephew in the conduct of his
affairs This self-made American was sharp
enoguh to recognize the main chance when he
saw 1t among these Pacific specks, with the
natural result that he is rich man.
Some years ago Egypt opened to trade the
once fanatical city OF Harrar in East Africa,
which was sealed so long against all Chris
tiains. A young Frenchman named Rimbaud
heard Of the sort Of trade goods that we're
wanted among the natives some way south
Of that city. Though Egypts influence did
not extend beyond Harrar itself, Rimbaud
had the temerity 70 take a large stock Of
knicknacks into that region, depending on
his guns to insure his safety. Not even
explorer had been there before though these
Gallas were fairly well known. He got rid Of
his goods at an enormous profit, bringing
back gold dust feathers and skins, and was
about to return with another cargo when an
accident ended his life These things simply
show that man with a gift for money max
ing can make money almost anywhere.
Cyrus G. Adams