Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-28
HOW FOUR HUNDRED TAME BIRDS
BRING IN. $1,000 10000 PER ANNUM

and are very delicate. Here in so,tt
Africa they are often kept away fro,,,
their parents at night. being placed IN
packing cases which are floored lyitt'
dry sand and covered whit baspjr@
After they are two or three months ~,
they are allowed to sleep together n ,r
| the floor of a warm room and after SD.
! months they can run about and win
stand almost as much cold as the Old
birds. They grow fast. At the arc ~
q month they are as big as a turkoyt !
| and at seven or nine mouths their 90
J picking begins
Harvesting the ostrich feathers ponq
by the general name of plucking. rhi.
gives one the idea that the plumes ara
pulled out. This Is not SO. Such front.
mont would cause great pain and In.
Jure the birds. Tho process should Is
called clipping or cutting, for the uuill.
are shipped off With shears; and tbis
causes the ostriches Just about ns
much pain as shearlng does sheep. Tue
first feathers of a chick bring but Inn
more than two dollars: but after mn
the plumes Improve right along, ana
1t is not uncommon for IL grown bird
to yield over 500 worth in ono year,
The cutting OF the feathers is don,
every eight or nine months rhe
plumes from tho wings and the tails
4
most valuable. and 1t makes a great
difference In their value as to how thr
feathers are cut. There are % lam.
white plunes on each wing of a corl;
The rest of the feathers are black on
the male and drab or grayisb on thn
female. In addition there are smallnr
feathers known as the ostrich lin,
and others. so that one bird will yield
about 300 at u plucking After ,bn
feathers are taken off they are carried
indoors and sorted into about 20 df.
ferent lengths and colors. They nrn
then tied up In bundles, weighed and
packed up for the market The chcan
tips bring something like SIS a pound.
while the plumes from the wings and
tails are worth 5000 per pound ana IN.
ward.
BLINDFOLDED oSTRIcHEs
Plucking an ostrich is no easy matter
! would rather tackle a mad bull than
one of these great birds, IL l had no
means OF defonsc. The only thing tho
cock is afraid of is n thorn bush. and
this only because he fears 1t may MT
out his eyes. Without that he might
run at you and kick you to death. The
ostrich kicks high, and tho best reno.
dy In such cases Is to throw yourself
fiat on tho ground, Then tho old cock
you, but he cannot kick so as to hurt.
At the time for plucking the ostriclp.,s
are driven by the farmers or the ili-
tive blacks into pluclsing boxes, These
are little pens made for the purpose
They arc just about large enough for
one ostrich TO; stand In without moving
around After the door is shut the
bird can do nothing, and he cannot
kick, as the sides are too high. He is
kept quiet by means Of a stocking ora
great cloth mltten which is drawn
over his head. His wings are now
raised, and the plums cut off With
scissors, tho work going on until all
the feathers are taken. The ostrich
roars mournfully during the process
but In reality it hurts him but little
When turned out he looks as ugly as
II sheep after shearing. but within u
few weeks the stumps of the quilts die
and fall out, and the new feathers be-
sin TO appear.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.