The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-02-03
Information on Ostrich Farming
Here is Wanted.
A REQUEST FROM WASHINGTON
Letter Came to Chas. NJ. Cooke,
a Disease Found.

a Specialist III charge u tite u ga"
bureaus of the department of agricul-
ture at Washington, has written to-
Chas. VI. Cooke for full information on /
the ostrich farming experiments in
these islands. Mr.. Turner. for some |
time manager Of the ostrich company. |
has replied and says:
Honolulu, H. l., Jan. 70, 1899.
Mr.. 7. S. Palmer, Washington. ID. c.
Dear Sir:-Having been interested
with Mr. Chas. III. Cooke in his 'os-
trich venture" during which time had
charge OF the birds, he handed me your
letter, written some time ago. and |
asked me to reply to it.
1 have not now any data at hand
from which to get exact dates. but can
give you from memory sufficient infOr-
nation to enable YOU TO judge fairly in
preparing your report. | am glad toI
be afforded the opportunity to give my
views on this subject, as l fear that n
mere history OF the ostrich business"
would result in your reporting it an
other failure. due TO uncongenial eli
mate and soil.
Although these birds have failed to-
thrive here. ! thing that the various
difficulties attending our efforts to
raise them can justly be attributed to-
a disease with which, in my opinion.
the birds were infected when they were
brought here-a disease which can eX-
ist in the birds when they appear to be
perfectly healthy-but under the slight
est unfavorable condition will soon
cause fatality. The true cause was not
known for several years-not until the
majority of them were reduced TO a
degenerate lot unfit To redeem. / say
this because of so many dying that in
mating them they yielded TO the temp
tation OF inbreeding and each time in
herited the weakness that disease had
produced so that for the last three
years their eggs have failed TO hatch
with the best endeavOrs that could be
applied, so that even If the inherited
weakness did not cause the unfertility
OF the eggs, there is only one other
cause that could enter into the question
feeding too highly of grain-and this
high feeding became absolutely neces-
the birds We're in the least reduced
they were simply devOured by the dis
ease. | was first to discover that these
birds had this disease and afterwards
learned that it was prevalent in South
Africa among ostricheS. but no other
animals or birds. Therefore | have
good reason to claim that that Il was
not contracted in this country. but was
imported with the birds. II / am right
in this conclusion. the chances for sue
cessful ostrich farming in Hawaii are
yet very good. Our climate is excel
lent. with much natural food. and the
ostrich is capable OF enduring severe
conditions II healthy. brief sketch
of our experience and l viii leave il
with you to judge whether or not l am
right:
In 1890, or Whereabouts. DIR. Trous-
seau brought two pairs of full grown
birds from California. one of which "a
male) was said to have been originally
shipped from South Africa. short
time after they arrived one OF them
died. DR.. TrousSeu Immediately sent
for another one-thiS five in number
being all that were ever shipped to this
country. They were placed in an en-
closure near the we'll known pleasure
resort of Waikiki, and soon began to
breed but their young were very diff
hcult to raise-gradually dying At diff
| ferent ages until there were not more
than 10 per cent of them matured.
| Frequent examinations were made and
they were found to- be dying from an
| 'intlamed stomach and. as few
nails or pieces of brass cartridge shells
were generally found in their stomachs
these were said TO be the cause Oi
death. Both incubatOrs and the nat
ural way were used in Matching. the
latter being more successful. They
were fed corn. sorghum. alfalfa and
lcabbage
They had. however. in March %
brought the number up TO thirty-fOur
three pairs CT which were hrseiins
birds. At this time c. VI. Cooke pur
ichased them. and together with som,
other gentlemen of Honolulu. fOrme,
n stock company and decided TO NOV,
the ostriches 10 the island OF Kauai
about 100 miles from Honolulu. W
had what seemed an ideal place there
but the fatality 2mOngSt the birds be
came more frequent and We lost abOu
80 per cent of them within thre
months. As usual there was found uu
= on examination some rubbish. such q
pieces OF nails. glass. etc. in thei
stOmachs. but after all the nails wer
exhausted. they still continued TO III
. with the same symptoms. / then pre-
cured strong magnifyinE glass. undo
which | placed n small piece of the iii
named stomach" and learned that the
We're being deyoured by a small re
, parasite in the shape of a worm. Y,
so small that l think there We're full
fifty on a piece much less than IN
/ the size OF a small pea. Describing "a
disease, l then made inquiry OF an "os
ltrich farmer" in Cape Colony. VIII
prescribed carbolic acid as remedy.
found this Of very little use. as
killed oftener than il cured. Finall
however l stopped them from dying B
changing their food. feeding the
nothing but Succulent green food. wit