Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-01-07
CALIFORNIA OSTRICHES.
THE NEW AMERICAN INDUSTRY
THAT Is BEING DEVELOPED.

African Feathers Being Rapidly Driven
Out of the Field by Our Own Product
How the Birds Have Been Put to
the Front In This Country.
Ostrich farming is now one OF the
profitable industries of the country,
there being in southern California
several large farms, those of Pasado-
M, Norwalk and San Diego being par
ticularly noticeable. Here birds of
various ages, from the nevly-hatched
chick to the full grown, may be seen.
The climate is particularly adapted TO
this bird, and the transplanted indus
try may be said to be perfect sue
cess.
The first birds were brought here
in 1885. an Englishman securing fifty
two South African ostriches. Forty
two arrived in southern California i'll
good condition and formed tho basis
of all future operations, their dcscen-
dants today numbering over 200 Cali
fornia- born birds.
The Pasadena ostrich farm is the
most convenient to the general pub
lie, and lies on the north side of the
Arroyo Seco--the river, often dry in
summer, which forms the western
boundary to the city, Here II large
Enclosure is divided of into yards aud
corrals, in which are found birds of
all ages, while in II small building are
exhibited the products of the farm.
Up to within few years all the os-
trich plumes worn were brought from
Africa, but now there is duty of 2S
per cent. on the plumes, and the
young American industry is able to
compete. At the Pasadena farm the
feathers are to be had at cost. Here
one may purchase a cape of feathers, If
one wishes, for twenty-five or thirty
dollars, or the plumes made into Il
variety Of articles useful and orna-
mental, which are distributed all over
the country.
A flock of fifty or one hundred birds
presents q most interesting aud singu-
lar appearance. They have n iaunty,
Jsbonnair air as they approach the
lnce, and when startled they rush
away with wings and feathers erect,
presenting very peculiar appear
ance.
The birds in Pasadena are kept in
small corrals, separated by space of
five or six feet to, prevent them from
fighting, In this pastimo they strike
with their feet forward with force
often sufficient to kill man or horse,
the long, sharp toe being terrible
weapon. When the Pasadena atten-
dants pre- attacked they throw them
selves upon tho ground and lie flat,
escaping for the singular reason that
the birds cannot strike anything less
than three feet from the ground. The
old birds first attract the visitors at
!ention--a flock Of fifty, each stand
ing seven feet high and weighing
about $50 pounds, their great, white,
bare thighs working, their rich plumes
falling gracefully from wing and tail
They appear to have unbounded curl
osity, coming up to the fences and
gazing ut the observers with their
mild eyes. In one pen sits II nesting
Dlru III the not sun. ~ ne neSt ~
simply IL depression in the soil, When
the bird nests it deposits in all ten or
fifteen eggs, over which she distributes
little sand. From now on the two
birds devote themselves equally to the
Matching process. The male bird
takes his place ut p. IN. and SEES I'M
til nine in the morning; then the fe-
male, who has been feeding and eS-
ercsing, relieves him. The male also
relieves the female an hour in the
middle Of the day, that she may feed.
For forty days this regime is faith.
fully followed, when an observer will
hear the tap-tap from tho shells, and
soon they begin to break, aided blythe
female, aud the strange, wire-haired
young appear They are immediately
taken from the mother and placed in
brooder, and the female will soon
begin to lay again.
No feathers equal in beauty those
obtained from the wild ostrich, but
the California production meets the
demand so well that it would he diff
cult to distinguish them, Philadelphia
Times.