The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-04-20
The Peoples Journal.
PICkENS SO.
AN OSTRICH FARM.
Bill Arp Tells OF tho Big Birds and
How They arc Bred in Georgia.


an last Thanksgiving day. 1t is q branch
N the one at Galveston. a few years
npo these entcrprising men gathered
and brought ifty-twO young birds In
hfric,. They chartered vessel and
landed thirty nine OF them safely In
Galveston. The others died. Last falI
Mr.. Pearson, who is Mississippian,
nrought over here number OF adult
birds and also IL pair Of those that came
from Africa. He has here now about
thirty which arc grown and married
and has "a number Of chicks from two
days to four months old. There is a
large inclosurc, where the males and
females OF marriagc age are turned
in and kept until the male makes his
choice. The female acQuiesces with
out any coQuetry. This pair are then
transferred to " smaller inclOsurc,
where tho male at once begins the pro-
cess Of subjugation. He treats her
most shamcfully---strik. her, bites
her, pursucs her and gives tho poor
thing no rest. | SAW him at it, and
wanted to take big stick and maui
him, Complete subjug"toD is his ami
mus and after he gets that and she
humbles herself TO the ground and
pleads for mercy his whole manner is
changed. He takes her to wife and
treats her with the greatest consldcra-
zion and Kindness the rest OF their mar.
ricd life.
Very many OF these birds have mated,
and every pair has separate cncloS-
urc, say about 50Xl0U feet, where they
raise their young. The hen lays from
twelve to twenty CggS-layS them on
the ground in a sauccrlikc place,
where the sand has been scOOpCd out.
The eggs are in full view and have no
protection. When the litter is all laid
the male bird begins the incubation and
sets upon them every day from i p. IN.
until O'Clock next morning. The fc-
male then promptly takes her place and
sets from IL. m. until i p. M, but
always takes q few minutes OIL about
noon to purtakc OF her dinner, which
the keeper provides, and consists Of
chopped cabbage and clover hay and
small stones and oyster shells. | for
got to mention that the hen lays an
egg every other day and the time Of in
cubation is forty days. My son, who
was with me, remarked TO the old En
glishman that our common hens laid
an egg every day and on Sunday they
laid two. "Is that so,' said he. 81
was not aware Of that 1t is indeed
very wonderful, and how docs the her
knw when Sunday comes :"
son. said my son." they bear tn,
church bells ring"
"Wouderful, wondcrful,' said the clt
llpn With JllC SlnDlcSJ CrouQlby.
SO devoted is the male bird TO hi
first love, his hanCcc, that he cannO
by force or persuasion be induced I
take another. We saw Il poor, mise,
able, laccrALuu hen in hospital quar-
tcrs. She had all the skin torn frOl
her breast and MIR. Pearson said tn
keeper made Il mistake when he Il an:
fcrrcd pair ana placed the wrong I,
male in the inclosure and the ma
tl,in tn II Il i1t, a, ..,,ll |,
to have succeeded. She WAS not Ii
bride and he knew it.
AS soon as the chicks break the cg;
and come forth they eat nothing for tv
or three days. The mother takes tho
up gently with her bill and war;
them under hcr wings or hovcrs ov
them in tho sand. | supposc that
where the expression came from
"un-cr the shadow OF thy wings"
SAW bat one new born chick. 1t W
only two days old There were quite
number OF half-grown birds and th'
arc ungracc(ul, unscCmly and almu
hidcous. Indeed, the adult birds a
not much better aftor their plum
have been pulled out. EynTy nj
months they have 70 s?n!,'5;imnit to this {
~-- srauatlon, Tor lorttShtiic NO plumcs bring in t
revenue Each male bird Eivrs l.
twelve black plumcs at II picking a
'"
These arc cXQuisitcly beautiful and
| had been rich would have purchas
apair for my bride. The females ar
light color Of brown and white /.
furnish from sixty TO one hundl
plumc@ in a season, but they do
bring half 80 4uJlrh.
Mr.. Pearson says that ostriChcs W
kept live to be scvcnty.tivc years
and it does not cost much to keep tn
~ - / "A
horse or Il COW.
Ola Grover Cleveland IS the larg,
and finest bird on the farm. He stan
when erect, about eleven feet in
stockings and his mate, Frances, is t
finest female bird. They have rails
one brood and have begun on anoth
The Prince OF Wales and his wife, Ii
L.angtry, are the next best. III
comes Mark Hanna and wife and \
kinlcy and no wife, for, alas, he xii
her in Is tit OF passion and has not
chosen another.
Then thafc arc IcGuy KOoocvoit a
his wife, Cuba. ana their little ne
born child, Florida. NcXturc Admin
Schlcy and wife and next Mr.. Pears,
pointed out General Wheeler and vii
Why" said |, General Whccl
hasn't any wife,"
No, but he wants one all the same
said he: and next came Bob Filzsin
mons and wifc--thc mcancst bird
the lot, said he, for he is an cXccptiu
TO the rule ana fights his wife an
everything else in sight.
Well, Of course there WAS a very fin
par which were called Dewey an
wife and another pair called Sagast
and wife.
This is enough TO give the youn
people an idea about osLriches and
would have pleased them to see one
these noble birds hitchcd to the beaut
iul little buggy and driven around /
Mr., Pearson. Altogether, it was r
vclation TO me, and | enjoyed my visi
" seems to me to BE- very simp
business and one that does not rcQuil
any more genius than raising mules
COWS or sheep. Jacksonville Is beaut
iul town. 1T has grown into beau
within Tho laS1 GnM unnrs Ito nlnu n1