The herald., 1915-02-18
OSTRICH FARM OPENED
MANY VISITORS WITNESS THE AR
RIVAL OF BIRDS AT CITY PARK
AND LOOK ON WITH INTEREST
AT PLAYFUL ANTICS.

AND LOOK ON WITH lNIthsS
AT PLAYFUL ANTICS.
Sunday marked the opening OF the
First Ostrich Farm in this section OF
the country and thousands OF people
focked to City Park Sunday, the
opening day, to pay the 10 cents adj
mission to see one of the greatest
curiosities.
Inst TO make the ostriches feel at
home they've built a lOw-roOfed South
African bungalow sort of structure IN
front of the reservation, and in the
rear of this are any number of large
and roomy pens where the birds are
to be kept in pairs or goups.
The ostrich farm is now fixture at
City Park and is expected to prove the
biggest attraction the popular resort
ever has offered the people. Local
capital in interested heavily in the ven
ture and so is the City Park Commits
sion. and after the opening Sunday, a
small price of admission will be charg-
ed to defray maintainence expenses.
The price will be 10 cents.
"Nosiree, these birds don't mind the
cold the least Bit" smiled Mr.. Hughes,
"and they'd show the same air of ease
and comfort in a snow storm. They re
about the weather as they are about
their appetites and a cobble stone
sandwich would do them just as well
as a neat bushel of fresh corn and
barley.
"Oh yes they're easy to feed, and
although they are ready to eat at any
hour of the day or night, they seldom
gorge to the indigestion stage. That's
the only complaint they ever have, a
tightness in the stomach, and we cure
them readily with cupful of ground
gravel.
The ostriches were friendly lads and
lassies everyone of them and they in
dulged in the questionable pastime of
innocently slipping up the wire net
ting and nipping any stray fingers that
might be resting on the pailings. They
couldn't bite any harder than
chicken though, and after while
when the folks got next to this fact
they consented to yield their hands
and fingers as targets for running oc-
trich bites.
The only danger from them is their
feet" Mr. Hughes warned the visitors.
I've been kicked by a mule and also
by an ostrich. If one or the other is
to happen again give me the mule
every time. The ostrich kicks for
ward and kicks just as a skilled boxer
hits, making every ounce of his weight
count. He has to be in a mighty bad
humor, though, to exercise that repre-
hensible faculty. A friend of mine
over there" indicating Prof. Spencer
asked me if | wasn't afraid of the
colored brother scaling the fence some
moonlight night in search of ostrich
stew. | shook my head and said no,
because | knew that the colored
brother might just as well go in a cage
and try to kidnap lion as take liber-
ties with any of these birds
There are about dozen pens of
mate ostriches at the farm and there
is big enclosure in the center with
young Ostriches not yet mated. Over
on the north side is a pen for the
youngsters, and only one of these, a
fledgling, shows the effects of his rail
road journey, in bruised neck.
When the Ostriches mate they mate
for life. and the widow of male is
always true to the memory of her dear
departed, and never will try matri.
mony a second time. The same con-
stancy is not noted in the male.
Mr.. Hughes is going to put in his
incubator next week, and let the. pub
lie see the Matching process. He also
Will run a small maternity branch for
purpose, and show mother
District on her nest and caring for her
young. The ostrich, Mr.. Hughes saws.
lives to the patriachial age of seventy
live or eighty years, and is not a bit
expensive "a dollar a month being suf.
fcient for the keep of the heaviest eat
er. But that's not because the dietic
of the ostrich don't go be-
yond brick-bats and pebbles.