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Show . .1 . . .- - -- .: . The U. S. G overn- merit's Plan to Help Solve War's High. Liost or living ly Adding to O ur Tables a Bird That Weighs as Much as a Cow and Lays the Equivalent of 600 P Hen's Eggs a Year s'''' By W. H. Ballou, Sc.D. THE United States Government is con-considering con-considering plans to put ostrich on the everyday menus of everyday families. The intention is to make the ostrich help out the hen, not only in its task of providing pro-viding white and dark meat, but also in eggs. To this end an investigation just completed ; shows that the average ostrich is the equiva- ; lent of 175 broilers this includes the long neck and legs, much of which can be used for sc-up and that one female ostrich will lay the equivalent of 600 hens' eggs per year. Furthermore, great parts of our southwestern south-western desert region provide ideal places for ostrich farms. Thus, the Government will point out in its report, not only can a new food staple be added, which will bring the cost of chicken down and with it, its own price, but put into use vast stretches of land which now raise nothing but sand, sage brush, lizards, rattlesnakes, bugs, horned toads and cactus. Curiously enough, the thing which turned attention to the real possibilities of the ostrich was a discovery, not long ago, of the J egg of a prehistoric ostrich in China. This egg is now in the American Museum of C Natural History in New York, and it, was the comparison of its size with the size of . eggs laid by modern ostriches that set the wheels of inquiry going. It was known by scientists that the ancient eggs were much larger than those of to-day. But in making the comparisons it was discovered dis-covered that while ostriches in the wild state lay eggs equivalent to 20 hens' eggs, under ideal conditions and intensive cultivation, they have, within twenty years, increased the size of their eggs to the 5-pound mark ; that is, an equivalent of more than 30 hens' eggs. Furthermore, it was found that under cultivation, culti-vation, in the same time, the birds have increased in-creased one-third in size and weight. This remarkable response, not only in growth of body, but of egg content under domesticity, set the Government experts thinking. Of course, there would be a limit to growth, both of bird and egg, but it seems that ostriches can be bred double the size Ji they now are and with truly monstrous eggs, equivalent to perhaps 60 to 80 of those of the hen. All this can be done simply by giving them proper environment and, as has been said, the American desert regions offer an ideal location for their breeding the taking of parental care of them, shielding them from the rigors of nature, curbing their own tendencies ten-dencies of destroying and maiming one an-i an-i other 'in their natural fierce combats, and A'- supplying them with proper foods. But what does an ostrich taste like? Al- though western cities have been enjoying : ostrich meat on their tables for several years, the novelty was first introduced in New York by the large hotels last New Year's. Epicures voted the meat as superior in flavor to that of venison or turkey. 1 The female ostrich averages fifteen eggs annually, the equivalent of 450 hens' eggs, equally delicious as food and equally as valuable for all culinary purposes. The ostrich, as a market supplyer, however, presents pre-sents no such possibilities as its keep, like that of hens or other domestic animals in the back yard. It is, like cattle and sheep, an animal of the ranch, to be grown iu herds and cared for by keepers. The bird thrives principally upon alfalfa, but in addition, likes vegetables, fruits, etc., where it is pos-. . j sible to get them. In addition, it requires quantities of ground glass or an equivalent of gravel, which makes for its digestion. The cost of keeping an ostrich is the same as that of a cow. Ostriches go in pairs, the male solemnly taking a wife and keeping her during life. It should interest the romantic mind to know S that the male courts his choice as regularly and as lovingly as man is himself supposed, to do, but without man's materialism of financial and social demands. Thus the mat- ter of keep, cost of keep, food supply, mating ?' and housing are matters of well settled and """established principles. As t o possible waste from the long legs and neck of the ostrich, there is no concern, since Solve War's High ''Adding to Our ' , , ' - J Weighs ' rid Lays " .; 600 . . N ear ' ' ' W V i ' v- A . - ;cj4 ' i ; j a j i - aa v . v I The Ostrich Egg Compared to a Large Hen's Egg. Inset Is a Scene on an Arizona Desrt Ostrich " ' ' ' 1 - Ranch Showing, also, a Sun Motor Which Utilizes a Tiny Portion of the . 1 - Heat That Goes to Waste Th-;re. . j they reduce but little the weight of the bird. Lwfl " "?H ',V V The leg bones doubtless contain marrow use- r ' i4'- ? ful for soup, and the neck joints flesh is ? V s equivalent to ox-tail. These are matters for A Small Egg Showing the Baby Ostrich "-') T .V4 chefs or just plain cooks to determine. Tust EmerL -rH h 1 v . 5 I. V T The ostrich egg has the same nutritive " EmeT " Wf ' , value as that of a hen's egg, the same rela- ' N .-Sv v ' ' C ' a' tive proportion of yolk, white and albumin- $A " "i, '"A,- , , " ous matter, only on a larger scale. The con- Si V" 'A v ' -t ' , . . t, , i - ' f tents of the egg have the same capability of '-"T"" , ,X x , ' h being emptied and kept indefinitely in con- "! ! 1 ' ' tamers, the same as bakers group the con- ': " - fw-'- - ' ?4 Vl ' " " i tents of hundreds of hens' eggs in bulk. ?."K, 'i , . '.v,'-1. The1 meat has likewise the same capability '." A' . V . V of hanging on the hook of the market shop t . - ' . J , W. ' as has the quarters of beef, lamb and pork l h . ' sT . - jk5uV The Spring chicken, however, would hardly V-CV ' ' ' ' . bear comparison with the Spring ostrich, as fT " " 1 Cramah. tMrtytroiffldhiCk 'th5 frm twenty"fiv to V- " J " Two Kinds of Babies. Ostrich Chicks Just Hatched. family,PraSer 'th afa mere doubirjo-tlo for X' ' 'V Str!ch Weigh, ab? three and nfi- but there is h't!lm out it that is really I two. Later, herein, will ITZlCv ot Z V4 '. quarter to five pounds. The eggs are laid very graceful. ' rapid growth of the chick and his sneedv V . ,ne 6T y tber day,ut'1 twlve or thteen The bill of an ostrich opens fully four entry after birth into commercial f i Ve " aocnralllated- Sometimes the inches, and an adult ostrich makes no trouble Ostriches apparently never die or at i t -r- A- i' mother bird refuses to set, in which case the over swallowing an orange whole a big live to a green old ae The' fe 1 l ': ' Pg?s are put m an lncubator for the reason navel orange, with a diameter of three and eggs during life As ostriches l la-s ' I that, the male bird, which usually covers one-half inches. Moreover, an ostrich will been under observation in America f,.V"t V I them during the night, will not do so unless catch these oranges as fast as they are tossed vears, and as only one has diorf ,V T 7 f"- V - '-t the mother covers them during the day. 1o him, swallowing them one after another from heart disease we have th8t De ' ' " The eggs begin .to hatch in about forty imtil you can count ten or twelve huge no way to estimate how Ion" T ! days, and the chicks come out full fledged globes slowly rolling down the long neck they do live As to breeding - 1 - and qnite stro""- standing about twelve at the same time. The California ostriches we only know' that one pair ' - & inches high. They are covered with short, are almost equally fond of sugar beets, and has produced over 450 pro --w. X stubby feathers, reminding one of a bunch ' quickly snap up rectangular chunks meas- genv in twenty-nine' vears K i of dark colored excelsior. For the first two unng from three to four inches and dispos- equivalent to 137 500 nounds A ' - ' - nr three days the chick eats nothing but bits ing of them much the same as they do the of meat. Doubtless they can- v - . f of gravel and shell Then he be.ms on the oranfres not produce or at least have 2 x ' ' tender shoots of alfalfa and other green The old saw about "A stomach like an not produced, more egss sK 1 ' '"i " V ' - -l 1 ' '- fm1- , i. t , "st.rich," is not altogether beside the mark, than the limit given but still , h - " " The ostrich chicks grow very rapidly, m- for the ostrich will eat literally anything, larger eggs mav be possible 3 i "1w v. - . n -' creasing m size about a foot a month. Dur- including nails and glass. They demand 1 in the production of still "' - a ? ' ' v - mg this period they require a great deal of large quantities of gravel or other gritty larger birds under careful v " -"" ") 3 attention and receive no care whatever from substances, and are given a regular ration ' breeding and matins " ' ' ? f the mother birds. During the incubation, of broken bone and shell every noon. ' , ' T" 1"' however, the mothers are very faithful, The ostrich eats nearly as much as a cow. At tiie present war prices - - , - . covering the eegs during the hardest, storms, It is therefore no small matter to provide or everything, it cannot be - - even if the nest, which is merely a hole provender for hundreds of ostriches They said that either ostrich eggs - Tf 1 -.v.'V..v ... . scooped in the ground, becomes filled with are extremely fond of green alfalfa and eat thnleiVi M imIe -exPensive ' " " wat- several pounds a day. They are also given t nan otner kinds. At least . . .5. The neck of an ostrich is a wonderful part large quantities of such vegetables as car- neither nrnrln.-t hoc i1,-oj c ;i i tl. 1. . , ' , . ... . 0 . .. . The Ostrich Egg Compared to a Large Hen's Egg. Inset Is a Scene on an Arizona Desrt Ostrich Ranch Showing, also, a Sun Motor Which Utilizes a Tiny Portion of the Heat That Goes to Waste Th-ire. they reduce but little the weight of the bird. The leg bones doubtless contain marrow useful use-ful for soup, and the neck joints flesh is equivalent to ox-tail. These are matters for chefs or just plain cooks to determine. The ostrich egg has the same nutritive' value as that of a hen's egg, the same relative rela-tive proportion of yolk, white and albuminous albumin-ous matter, only on a larger scale. The contents con-tents of the egg have the same capability of being emptied and kept indefinitely in containers, con-tainers, the same as bakers group the contents con-tents of hundreds of hens' eggs in bulk. The meat has likewise the same capability of hanging on the hook of the market shop as has the quarters of beef, lamb and pork. The Spring chicken, however, would hardly bear comparison with the Spring ostrich as the ostrich; chick weighs from twenty-five to thirty pouTTds, with ability to serve a large family rather than a mere double portion for two. Later, herein, will be the story of the rapid growth of the chick and his speedy entry after birth into commercial form Ostriches apparently never die, or at least live to a green old age. The female lays eggs during life. As ostriches have only been under observation in America for thirty years and as only one has died and that one from heart disease, we have from heart disease, we have no way to estimate how long they do live. As to breeding, we only know that one pair has produced over 450 progeny pro-geny in twenty-niue years, equivalent, to 137,500 pounds of meat. Doubtless they cannot can-not produce, or at least have not produced, more egss than the limit given, but still larger eggs may be possible in the production of still larger birds under careful breeding and mating. At the present war prices of everything, it cannot be said that either ostrich eggs or meat is more -expensive than other kinds. At least neither product has advanced in price or cost like other ( animal foods. Food ostrich A Small Egg Showing the Baby Ostrich i Just Emerging. Ostriches Make Splendid Racers, as This Picti-re of One Hitched to a Light Surrey on One of the Western Ranches, Proves. eggs sell at. $2.50 each, the equivalent of the price of an equal bulk of hens' egtrs. The flesh of young ostriches, weighing from 25 to SO pounds, sells in the markets at the Copyrigh same price, per pound, as turkeys. Eggs for breeding cost. .".00 each, and shells for museums $1.00 and 2.00 each, according to size and polish. t. 1917, by the Star Comp.mv. Orent Britain Rights R Two Kinds of Babies. Ostrich Chicks Just Hatched. Ostrich eggs weigh about three and one-quarter one-quarter to five pounds. The eggs are laid one every other day until twelve or thirteen have been accumulated. Sometimes the mother bird refuses to set, in which case the eggs are put iu an incubator for the reason that, the male bird, which usually covers them during the night, will not do so unless the mother covers them during the day. The eggs begin to hatch iu about forty days, and the chicks come out full fledged and quite strong, standing about twelve inches high. They are covered with short, stubby feathers, reminding one of a bunch of dark colored excelsior. For the first, two nr three days the chick eats nothing but bits of gravel and shell. Then he begins on (lie tender shoots of alfalfa and other green food. The ostrich chicks grow very rapidly, increasing in-creasing in size about a foot a month. During Dur-ing this period they require a great deal of attention and receive no care whatever from the mother birds. During the incubation, however, the mothers are very faithful, covering the ecss during the hardest storms, even if the nest, which is merely a hole scooped in the ground, becomes filled with water. The neck of an ostrich is a wonderful part of its anatomy. The average length of the neck is a little less than three feet. An adult ostrich, when in full swing, covers about twenty-two feet at a stride, and can easily out-distance the fastest, horse. Their gait, both in running and walking, has a peculiar swinging roll which at first seems awkward, e served. but there is a'thythm about it that is really I very graceful. The bill of an ostrich opens fully four inches, and an adult ostrich makes no trouble over swallowing an orange whole a big navel orange, with a diameter of three and one-half inches. Moreover, an ostrich will catch these oranges as fast as they are tossed 1o him, swallowing them one after another until you can count ten or twelve huge . globes slowly rolling down the long neck at the same time. The California ostriches are almost equally fond of sugar beets, and quickly snap up rectangular chunks measuring meas-uring from three to four inches and disposing dispos-ing of them much the same as they do the oranges. The old saw about "A stomach like an ostrich," is not altogether beside the mark, for the ostrich will eat literally anything, including nails and glass. They demand large quantities of gravel or other gritty substances, and are given a regular ration ' of broken bone and shell every noon. The ostrich eats nearly as much as a cow. It is therefore no small matter to provide provender for hundreds of ostriches. They are extremely fond of green alfalfa and eat several pounds a day. They are also given large quantities of such vegetables as carrots, car-rots, beets, turnips, etc. Their diet is carefully care-fully arrangpd as the result of many years' experience, so as to produce the silkiest, glossiest feathers. Moreover, the method of feeding and handling has increased the feather production of the birds very considerably. |