Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-28
Special Correspondence.
Nv oRT ELIZABETH, This Is the
- chief ostrich feather port Of the
4 world. The finest plumes which


world. The finest plumes which
decorate the hats Of our Amer
lean beauties are raised in Cape Col
ony, and more than 100000 worth OF
them were seen from Port Eliza
beth to the United States last
year. The most of the octrich feath-
ers used by man are now raised on the
farms at Cape colony. There are some
thing Ike 100000 birds engaged in the
business and they produced more than
a million pounds of feathers last year.
Those feathers spld for more than
sT,0oOto0, bringing from $40 to $3.50 per
pound.
a BIC; FEATHER MARKET.
Tho chief ostrich feather market Is
Port Elizabeth. Tho feathers are sent
in by the farmers and country mer-
chants and are sold here at auctions
which are held every two weeks. They
are carefully packed III boxes and
scaled before shipment, and are con-
signed 10 licensed agents who sort them
and sell on q commission Of 21g per
cent, The sorting Is done at SO much
per pound.
The auction sales here are held ~
what is known as the feather ware.
house. This covers more than All acre
and it consists of n great room flllcd
with trestle work tables. Upon these
tables the feathers are laid out in
lots, and the feather buyers from all
parts of the world look over them and
bid on each lot as 1t is put up for sale.
Sometimes q hundred thousand dol
hrs worth OF feathers are displayed
at one time, and the yearly auctions
bring in several millions. After buy
ing the feathers arc fesorted and then
shipped Ia New York. and to London
ana other cities OF Europe. The great
er part of the productigoes 10 London,
where there are grca tlfcathcr auctions
held several times every year. Some OF
The very best pluncs, however, are ex-
ported direct to The ljtllted States, the
resortirg and finishing OF than being
done by orr millinersSan dealers at
home. The poorest feathers go 10
Germany. where they are made up into
boas and plumes for dolls hats. The
London feathers arc resorted before
they are sold. the auctions there hand
ling 20 or 80 tons every two months.
The average price brought by the Capo
COLONY feathers last year was over ST.
per pound.
SCIENTIFIC OSTRICH REARING.
The business of octrich raising is
fast becoming n science. The govern
ment hero Is Interested In 1t, and it
mas all sorts of lnWs TO protect the
farmers There Is a governemcnt vet
Urinary surgeon at Port Elizabeth,
who spends all his time studying
ostrich discusses. There is an ostrich
breeding association, and this has q
ST. book, In which the pedigrees of
the most noted birds are laid down.
There are certain farmers who have
so improved their stock that their
ostrich chicks will bring from $500
TO $1,000 apiece, and certain cock
birds Will sell for $4,000 or more.
There is q man named Evans whose
ostrichcs stand very high. He import
cd Il Barbpry cock some % years ago,
and bred him to a fine native hen.
Since then'he has steadily improved his
breed. The ostrich farmers pay great
attention to the study OF the feathers,
watching the birds which produce tho
best, and crossing them with others,
trying to bring about a combination
which will yield the finest and most
valuable plumes. There are certain
Localities which produce better fea-
theirs than others. The Oudtshoorn
feather, for instance. reaches 30 and
80 inches In length, the Gaff
ltoinet measures about 90 inches and
The Middleburg Is about 22. The latter
feathers are a little bit better than
he Oudtshoorn as to certain points,
but all arc especially fine.
KEPT LIKE FINE STOCK.
Within the past few years there
has been a great change in ostrich