Arizona republican., 1913-09-12
COMP ARSON
 IF OSTRICH
 DEVELOP PMENT
Grower of Cape Colony Compares Conditions and Methods of the Industry Here With Ostrich Rais- ing in South Africa

Oscar Evans, of Cape Colony, one of the most successful ostrich breeders of South Africa, met several members of the Arizona Ostrich Breeders assicta ton at the Hotel Adams yesterday aft ernOon on :he eve Cf his departure from the valley, after 2 stay of about a week. MT. Evans left the city last night
 In the course of the meeting yester- day he made an interesting comparison 3f, ostrich breeding in this valley and South Africa and he gave interest ing description of the growth of the industry there. It is one of the most carefully nutured industries in the world. The export of birds from the colony is prohibited by a criminal statute
 The business of breeding up ostriches in the Cape Colony was begun about twenty years ago, and MT. Evans was one of the pioneers of the movement They have stud book now and birds are entered in it after something of ceremony. When an ostrich owner of fers a candidate a committee is sent to examine the bird at plucking time Heis graded and if he shows a grade of 65 out of a possible 100 he is placed among the elect ostriches.
 Speaking of the birds of the valley he said they were in condition, about where the birds of South Africa were twenty years ago. but he said they were good birds, susceptible of great development. Not as much attention is paid here to feeding as South Afri- can ostrich farmers give to that part of the business
 The growers of the Salt River valley Mir Evans said. have one great ad- vantage over the growers of Cane Col ony in the matter of land Land which Is fully as productive here costs much less than land in South Africa Labor in caring for the birds costs a little. but not much more than it does there
 Of the value of the Cape Colony birds MT Evans said it is no uncom- mon thing for a pedigreed bird to sell for 400 pounds, $2OOO He has a flock If 1000 ostTiches. which includes many 5000 birds, and he has some that he could sell for S1O,0O0.
 MT Evans camet O this country lass for the purpose of making a study of the ostrich industry than for an in vestigation Of irrigation methods, with the notion of applying them to his holdings. He is the owner of 2.OOO acres Of land. of which he has 500 acres in alfalfa, though he calIe it lucerne Climatic conditions are much the same here as it is at home, though it is a little warmer here.
 The Arizona Ostrich Breeders asso- citation is not a state affair as the name may imply, but a national asso- ciation, the membership including Cal 1fornia, Texas and the lone Florida l grower. Practically all the ostriches in i the country are in this valley The | small flocks in California, Texas and ! Florida are used more for show than commercial purposes.
 It is expected that there will be an i early and rapid improvement and de- | velopment of the ostrich business in this valley. Through the efforts of | Representative Hayden a congressional ! appropriation was secured for the es- tablishment of an experimental farm and an agent of the department was here about a month ago looking over the field. The experiments will go into the matter of breeding and feeding