The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-04-13
BILL APPS WEEKLY LETTER.
He Writes Of a Visit 10 an Ostrich
Farm in jacksonville.
PecUllARiTIES OF THE BIRDS.
There b . Large Inciosure Where Males
and Females Of . Manageable Age are
Kept untl tae Male Makes Ills Choice.

Kept uatl tae Male Makes his Choice.
This ostrich farm was planted here
on last Thanksgiving day. 1t 10 8
branch OF the Que at Galveston. Anew
years ago these enierprisIng meu
gathered and bought Gf,y-two youn.
DIrds u Africa They chartered u
vessel and Iandsd thirty. nine o. them
sa.eiy 10 Galveston. The others died.
Last fall Mr.. Pearson, who Is q Ms
sissippian. brought over here Q number
that came from Africa He has hare
now about thirty wnicn are grown and
married and has q number OF chicks
from two days to four months ola.
There IS large Enclosure. where the
males aud females OF manageable a2e
are turned 10 aud kept until the male
0sces without any cOquetry. This pair
arc then transferred to o smaller IN
closaSe, where the male at once begins
her most shamefully-strikes her
bites her. pursues her and gives the
poor thing no rest. l saw HIM at II.
maui hIm. Complete subjugstiou IS his
auimus aud after he gets that and she
humbles herself to the ground and
changed. He takes her to wife and
treats her with the greatest considera.
tioii and kindness the rest Of tLeif mar
RED life.
Very many of these birds have mated,
vs4Fu IN nell
ure, say about 5Ox 90 feet, where they
rai-e their young. The hen lays from
twelve to twenty eggs--lays them on
the ground IN q saucerlike place, whsre
tho sand has been scooped out. The
eggs are in full view and have no pro-
lection. When the litter is al! laid the
male bird begins the incubation and
sets upon them every day from p. NJ.
until 8 o'clock next morning. The
female then promptly takes her placs
and sets from a. H.. until p. M,
but always takes O few minutes oil
which the keeper provides, and con.
ssts of chopped cabbage and clover hay
and small stones and oyster shells. /
forgot to mention that the hen lays an
egg every other day and the time Of
was with me, remarked to tho old Eug
llahnan that our common hon laid On
egg every day and on Sunday they laid
| rwo. "fs that So" said he. II was
not aware Of that. 1t is indeed very
wonderful, and how does the hen know
when Sunday comes?"
| "Oh," said my son, 'thsy hear the
church bells ring.
| ssWonlo,sul wo,lnrf,,J o.;l A..
| old man with the sim pest credulity.
| So devoted Is the male bird to his
first love, his famed, that he cannot by
force or persuasion bs induced to take
another. We saw q poor, miserable,
iacerated hen In hospital quarters.
She had all the skin torn from her
breast and MIR. Pearson said the keep
or made q mistake when he ausferrod
q PAIR and placed the wrong female IL
the Enclosure aud the male tried to xii
her Immediately and liked to have sue
ceeded. She was not his bride and hs
knew 1t.
| AS soon as the chicks break the egg
and come forth they eat nothing foi
two or three days. The mother take
them up gently with her bill anC
warns them under her wings or HOY
ers over them in the sand. suppos
that Is where the expression came from
-"under the shadow Of thy wings
l saw hut one new born chick. 1t wa
only two days old. There were QUIT
number of half-grown BIRDS and Inc
are ungraceiui, unseemIy aud Amos
hideous. Indeed, the admit birds ar
not much better after their plumes hav
been pulled out. Every n,ne month
they have to submit to this degrads
ton, for the plumes bring III the re,
enue. Each male bird gives but twe!v
back plumes at picking aud the,
are worth from "a to 81 each. The
are exquisiteiy beautiful and if l hu
been rich l would have purchased
pair for my bride. The fema es are
light color Of brown aud white snc
furnish from sixty to-One huadret
plumes in season, but they do NJ
bring half SO much.
Mr.. Pearson says that ostriches we
kept live to b. seventy five years Of
and that it does not cost muca to kea
them-not hall as much as 1t does t
keep horse or COW.
Old Grover Cleveland is the large.
and finest bird on the farm. He stand
when erect, about eleven feet in h
stockings, and his mate, Frances,
= the finest female bird. They liza,
r raised one brood and have begun {
+ another. The Prince of Wales aud h
wife, Lilly Langtry, are the next hes
Then comes Mark Hanna aud wifi
and Mckinley and no wife, for, ala
= he killed her in tit Of passion and b.
not yet chosen another.
Then there arc Teddy Roosevelt a,
his wife, Cuba, and their little ne,
born child, Florida. Next are Admir-
Scnley and wife, and next Mr.. Pea
soa pointed out General Wheeler al
> wife. why" said ], "Gener
, Wheeler hasn't any wife
T mo, but he wants one all the same
!" said be; and next came Bob Fitzsil
mons and wife-the meanest bird
ths lot, said he. for he is an except.
to the rule and fights his wife and ever
thing else in sight.
Well, Of course there was a very Fl
\ pair which were called Dewey aad WI
\ and another pair called <Sagasta q
wife.
This enough to gisA she young pc
pie an idea about ostricbes aud
would have pleased them to see one
!. thess noble birds hitched to a beau
8. tiful little buggy aud driven aroul
by Mr.. Pearson. Altogether, it wa.
> revelation to me, and I enjoyed I
= visit It seems to me to be a VI
simple business and one that does q
- require any moro genius than raisi
mules or cows or sheep. Jacksoayi
is beautiful town. It has grown il
), beauty within the last few years.
cleanliness is most attractive fealu
y Its beautiful vide streets paved W
vitrified brick, its handsome pub
: buildings and private resides cea,
a general air Of comfort and hospital
. and its polite and we'll hammered p,
lie, and its evergreens that have def
the hard winter, all make it a low
place for <he sick or the well I