The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-27

| may here be studied in all stages from
the giant eggs to the plucked plumes.
| Visitors to the farm can see all these
| birds roam about, proudly deckcd with
| handsome plumcs and in the store on
| the ground have opportunity to pur-
| chase boas. plumes, tips, pompons, fans,
and other feathered goods made right
| there. 1t Is unique shopping place
for ladies and we'll worth visit tn see.
This industry was one of the surprises
of our trip and is worthy of special and
extended description.
OSTRICH FARMING.
The best feathered birds are paired
off for breeding purposes in separate
corals, 80 by $50 feet in size with
passage way of six feet wide between
each corral to prevent the males from
fghting--for the males during the lay
ing season. become very fierce and can
dangerously wound person with one
blow of the foot, they kick forward
with downward scratching movement
and their one sharp claw is sometimes
fatal. They can only kick dangerously
at a height of about three feet. They
will charge man on horseback, but
a little fox terrier will drive them
frightened from the field. Should any
one be so unfortunate as to find him
self near savage bird his only safety
is found by lying fiat on the ground.
| The ostrich stands from seven to ten
feet high and weighs from $50 to 400
pounds. They are fed on clover, hay,
corn. oats. barley, but will eat stones,
leather. oranges, even any thing from
lighted pipes to candy. The hard sub
stances are used to grind to food in
the stomach. They are given gravel,
same as fish bones are given To can
aries. The younger birds roam in
troops in larger Enclosures and running
with their wings outspread alarmed at
some unusual sight is most beautiful
: spectacle.
RAISING A FEATHERED FAMILY.
Shortly after pairing off pair will
: begin to build a nest. or rather. to dig
one out of the ground. The male bird
rests his breast bone on the ground
and kicks the sand behind; when one
is sufficiently deep, he turns around
and operates in like manner until a
round hole about four feet in diameter
. and one foot deep is the result of his
Y exertions; occasionally he intimatcs to
0 the female bird that help is required
I and they take turns. The hen, forth
with begins to lay an egg every other
2 day in the ground; they scatter a little
5 sand over the tops of the eggs to pro-
D tcCt them from the fierce rays of the
4 sun; this habit has doubtless led Ia
. the supposition printed i'm many ancient
n natural histories, that the eggs of the
I ostrich are hatChcd by the sun unaided
c by the birds. AS soon as the full mum
0 Der Of eggs are laid, the couple share
= the labor of Matching, the male bird
e sitting on the eggs from about fouI
4 o'clock in the afternoon until nine
h o'clock the following morning. At
y o'clock the female bird takes his place
e sitting the rest of the day.
Y 1t may be imagined with what skill
- this is performed, when 80 TO 40,
Y pounds of ostrich is bearing down upor
II fourteen eggs. The male bird with re-
Il markable intelligence relieves the fe'
for an hour in the middle of the day
= while she goes i'm search of necessary
d nourishment. a pair will follow this
d regime with the greatest regularity fol
@ forty-two days, when the chicks can b'
e heard telephoning, as il were. and soor
g make their appearance into the glorious
s climate of sunny Florida. In the wlC
d state this ends the animal process, bu
q the ostrich farmer--not unlike the or
# dinary chicken raiser, carefully re-
= pecially beautiful, presenting charmnl
@ vistas in every direction amid tn,
It moves the young chicks to covered
s warm shed and attends to their supper
1t himself, leaving the pair of older bird
e to proceed with another sitting, which
d they do with unwearied regularity; th'
n consequence is that instead of fourteen
10 | annually frnD1 "A n1il pf birds n,
k / skillful "ostrculturist," if we ma!
IS term him, often produces eighty eggs
most of which will hatch. The it'll
chicks on the third day, will begin L
devour small stones and broken bone
1t on the fourth day they eat bran, cab
l. bagc, and grass, which is the ideal foot
I'd for the young. With this, it's mOrtalit.
= is small and growth remarkably fast
r and up to the age of six months,
ID grows at the rate of one foot a month
= OSTRICH VALUES.
< An ostrich egg weighs about thre
I'd and one-half pounds and is equal I
IS thirty hens eggs. An omelet of ostric
eggs is nearly the same flavor and ap
pearance as an Omelet of ordinary eggs
The mfertile eggs are blown and som
ne decorated and find ready sale as sou
d, yenirs at one dollar each.
Is Each bird is worth from $50 to 81
es per annum in feathers and most {
SO them live in Africa to the good old ag
m of seventy years Their value Varie
from 5000 pair for chicks to $500 an
he $1,000 a pair for full grown breedin
Il birds four years old and upwards.
he Each and every ostrich is named an
he the following are the names of som
TX of the pairs of breeding birds: Presi
he dent Mckinley, and Queen Nictori'
us Mark Hanna and wife, Joe Wheeler an
ut Alabama, General Fitzhugh Lee. an
h Virginia, Admiral Schley and Lit
ELL cuba, Napoleon and Josephine, Grove
Cleveland and Frances, Admiral Dewe
of and wife, Teddy Roosevelt and wifi
rh and BcndiGo and Little Egypt, tAfrica
n birds 80 years old etc, The avcrag
an age of the male IL sevcnty-ive yeal
nd and the female seventy years,
,,H 4 I,A l.I