Arizona republican., 1910-10-30

that ostriches thrive and multiply in the Salt River Valley. Not only this, but the feathers grown are of a good standard quality and find a ready sale in New York in competition with those imported from South Africa. which country at present produces at least 95 per cent of the worlds prod uct.
 In the Salt River Valley there are now approximately 5000 ostriches, a large majority of which are still young birds, producing some $100,OOO worth of feathers annually, which val ue will be increased materially when the birds mature, the birds not being in their best plumage until maturity which they reach at about four years.
 The Salt River valley has already more ostriches than any other one spot in the world with the exception of South Africa, where the breeding and farming of these birds has been reduced to a science, and where the business in raw feathers alone has reached the enormous sum of over $15, ,0OO, 100000 annually.
 The money received from the raw feathers goes directly into the pock- cts of the ranchers of that country the same as the pin money earned by the ranchers wives in America from the raising of chickens. The ostrich is the chicken of South Africa and no ranch is complete without its quota of birds.
 As a money maker the ostrich takes second place to none, the raising of these birds being a money maker from the very start At birth a chick is easily worth s25 and rapidly increases in value until it arrives at maturity. At about six months, the first clip ping of feathers has a nominal value of from s7 to s10. and from that time on the value of the feathers increases rapidly as the birds mature, until they the giving from $2O to $50 and up- wards per clipping. clippings being taken every nine months, these amounts depending upon careful se- lective breeding, balanced ration and correct treatment at clipping and quilting.
 Say a steer at three years old is worth $50 and will return to the farmer a profit of $1O when sold. To keep the steer until ready for market means a feed consumption of about 40 lbs. of alfalfa daily when not on the range. while an ostrich will require only about seven or eight pounds of green feed daily, and will return his owner from S2O to $50 and upwards per clipping from mature birds, still leaving the owner in DOS session of his flock, which has by this time reached a value far in ex- cess of the steer
 l have been frequently asked the question is there a possibility of an overproduction of ostrich feathers !? In answer to this l can only say: The ostrich feather has been used as an article of sadornment for many cen turies and the demand today is great CT than ever, partly due to the ban placed upon the wearing of plumes of birds other than the ostrich and to the fact that no other similar article of adornment is really so economical good plume correctly treated lasting for many years. That the market value of the raw feathers has stead fly increased for the past few years is also an indication of the de-
 
 tories are becoming more and more versatile in the production of artistic designs has done much toward stand ardizing the ostrich feather for adorn- ment America is the largest consum- CT of ostrich feathers in the world. importing at the present time upwards of 000.0OO.00 annually. and this field being protected by the tariff above referred to, places the American grown feather in a position practical ly beyond competition, if the Amer can ostrich farmers in arranging their breeding pens will bear in mind an ideal plume, and endeavor to breed up to that standard. no stock responding so quickly to selective breeding
 Arizona being so favorably situated for the farming of these birds. it makes the industry of special import to the farmers of the Salt Rivey Val ley. and by bearing in mind the fact that cooperation is just as necessary for the growers of ostriches in mark eting their feathers as cooperation is necessary for the fruit growers, and by using improved methods as sug- gested above in matters pertaining to breeding. feeding and care. there is no reason why quality of feather cannot be produced in this Valley equal to or better than the South African product. and if enough birds could be raised on the ranches of this valley to even partly supply the American demand, it is not hard to figure what this would mean
 In South Africa today high class birds for breeding are bringing from s1.250 to $2,OOO each and the South African government expert informed me when in Phoenix a short time ago that his government recently paid s20.000 for four birds for their stud farm showing thereby what se- lective breeding and care has done in producing ostriches of extraordin- ary plumage.
 In closing I append prices ruling in
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