Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-27
Department Of Agriculture
Foresees Great Possibilities
for Breeders in u. S, !
BIGGEST RETURNS NOW
IN RAISING THE CHICKS
Interest in Birds Is Accentuated bv
Visit of Oscar Evans of South
Africa to This City.

observations on ostrich farming are 20
be started by the Department of Agricul-
ture. small appropriation was made
by Congress last year for this study and
after sending a man TO Arizona to took
over the ground. the department received
visit few days ago from Oscar Evans,
the largest ostrich breeder In South
Africa.
Mr.. Evans came after informatios on
cattle breeding. but he found the de-
partment in such a receptive frame OF
mind on the subject of ostriches that
than he received.
There is unusual interest I'm ostrich
! farming in this country just now. It
is paying business when properly run,
and with the present movement to protect
risorously all sorts OF plumage birds, IL
looks as though the domesticated os-
trich would be one of the few sources
of supply for millinery manufacturers.
This, the officials of the department
think, argues for an increase in price
for feathers.
No Blood Spilled in Work.
Those who have made a study Of thu
IL
too. on the fact that IL is the one form
of livestock breeding where there is no
blood spilled In letting the profits of
the busisess. The feathers of the do
mesticated biros are not pulled, but
clipped, and the quiz roots are eft in
severai months till they are oesaa. SO that
when they are pulled the operation Ii
entirely painless.
Mr.. Evans has a ranch with ABOUT LOCO
DlrQS. lney II greed
their breeding mas Deen ueveiopeu INTO a
iine at. ne says that wni.e The oslrich
farms he vlSlleu in this Iouulry We're
good, The breeulng metnuus were CA eiess
IN The extreme. ihls agreed wiIh tie 90
servauons the department. had already
mace, as some OF The Arizona lai mers
had ueen selling feathers 10. sav d pound
and dla not know wnicn OF their birds
the piumes came from.
Grow to Great Age.
The breeding records on the African
farms, Mr.. Evans said. are very closely
kept. Some of the birds still bearing
plumes are from wild stock that has been
in captivity thirty-five or forty years.
and there is no telling how old the bird
was when 1t was captured. There Is
no authentic record to tell how iong al
ostrich will live, but there Ia reason TO
Deneve they grow TO great age. Authentic
records OF parrots. swans and geese show
them to nve from eighty To over 100
years. and the breeders think ostriches
may come in the same category.
Ostrich bf eeuing in this country was
sta. ted in southern California several
years ago. partly with wild stock and
parity with birds imported from South
AFRICA. since the business has been ex-
tended to Arizona, the breeding STOCK has
CONE from the LaIilornla farms and from
European ZOOS. No more bii ds can hc
imported from South Africa, as the gov
eminent there has put pronlbitiye OK
port tax on both osIriches and Angora
goats.
Umcials of the Department of Agricul-
ture say there Is no douot OF the supe-
rlority of oomesucated ostrich plumes
over those fiom wld stock. The three
points on which plumes are judged In
The market are length, width and close
hess OF texture. In AL of these the best
oomesticated plumes are ahead of the
wild ones.
Chicks Hard to Raise.
Mr.. Evans agrees with the department
that for some years at least there viii
be as much or more money in raising
ostrich chicks than there is In selling
feathers. pair of birds will raise not
more than eight or ten chicks a year.
and these sell for $40 al six months old.
The chicks are something like turkeys IN
that they are very oeiicate and nard To
raise durine tie nrst lew months. but
after that II is almost impossioIe 20 Kali
tnem. They eat prime .paiIy aIia..a and
grain, but Will eat almost anyta,ns.
W lille they ale a tropical Di.d d, they
seem TO have a wide ranse, and winter
in the open as far north as Pennsylvania.
1t has not yet been determined whether
the cold weather OF the north has bene-
fetal effect on the feathers. as cold IL
lx To nm, "a
Mr.. Evans says that one of his obser-
vations pointed to an advantage America
has for ostrich raising. I"e birds do
not seem to be subject to any diseases,
and this Is not altogether true or the
domesticated birds in South Africa.