Show THERE IS MONEY IN OSTRICH FARMING decadence 4 4 of important south african industry J due to war in transvaal apeci al to the standard capo town february 7 one 0 the south african industries that has suf dearly by the war haa been ostrich farming which next to gold and be taken aroner c diamond mining may the roost remunerative enterprises at cape since many of the largest farms wire situated in the neighborhood ami some of the fiercest fighting took place an idea may be formed of the wreck which haa been made of many of the best paying in this line here when peace has been declared and a normal condition of things prevails ostrich farming will be ano of the first industries to benefit conducted andr favorable conditions it is one of the profitable occupations the ostrich thrives no where els m he docs at the cape which is his native heath they thrive best in a dry dusty bosfa country lika that found in the there they can get the frequent dust oaths of which they arc SQ fond and which prove so beneficial to their feathers whilst the wetting they might receive from dewy grass would ruin them the aemi adert is the natural home of this king of the bird creation swamps or low lying ground where there anay be muddy i pools are places for ostrich os frich farming as the birds boua swim in tha mud and spoil their plumage they also engender which ahei another burc of detriment to the birds as they irritate them until the ostrich tears oft all is ifs plumage to lid itself of torment ostriches reach maturity at the nic of four w that they are a continual dource of profit for a lifetime as they live to bea hundred years old in can outrival the swiftest horse attaining a speed of sixty miles an hour at this gait they can easily carry a weight equal to that if two men the ostrich doubtless would have become very scarce by now had not a means of do it been discovered the egg of the ostrich is a favorite dish of the native african and is also sought by the baboon and jackal owing to the carelessness of the female ostrich in regard to its nest there i no difficulty in taking the eggs away and in this way the chianca of reproduction is diminished whilo the birds remain in a wid there was an actual danger of their extermination before the invention of an incubator by a cape colony man which facilitated the rearing of the birds ill captivity the domestication of the ostrich BO far as it lias been accomplished has changed the conditions of rear ipg and the old birds now raise their own young the otrich like the turkey has only lin developed or rudimentary wings being entirely unable to fly the stumps are used by it when running swiftly to steady its course although tamed to a t ertain extent the ostrich alm has to be watched carefully by its captors at certain times or he will turn on them alio kaffir help to whom the care if them usually is entrusted know very well how to handle the birds when a kaffir goes among the birds he always takes him a thorny stick or buah should a bird charge upon him ho hai only to hold his guard on a level with the ostric lis head to atop any aggras tivo action on its part at once as it acry particular not to injure its eyes nih a wand in the shape of a thorn lush the ostrich can bo driven around the farm at will i should the man be overtaken in tho open without his brush bis only chanc chanca a to throw himself nat on the ground tha mischievous ostrich will then jump and dance on him for aghilo and will indulge ita dislike by rolling over him a few times and bruises this be afi alio only way it can injure a pros form the best thina lor a man to do who is over 1 taken in the open ii to run to cover if M there is a bush within reach alic bird will not attack there although it may walk around and the bush all day nibbling nearby food and waiting to get in a kick the mail ostrich during the breeding season is a very handsome bird his plumage is a deep jet black the white feathera in his wings and tail are snowy white the fronts of h legs are a bright vermilion while his erect head and superb bearing give him a regal appearance and entitle him t the proud distinction of king of birds the female ostrich make a poor appearance in comparison her plumage ia ot a drab color so like the dust that a she gets on her nest she is almost invisible the nest is scooped out of the earth and consists of a mere hole the few white feathers fondd on the female bird arc of very much leas alue than of the male on the farms a new nest with a gravel bottom for draining off nie made near that of the ostrich to which the eggs arc move for better protection before she sets the ostrich lays from twelve to seventeen eggs the average weight of each being about three pounds ahen the first two or three eggs are removed from the nest and dummy agga substituted the freshly laid eggs being removed daily the unsuspicious bird will lay as many as thirty or more in the same nest although the male ostrich is polygamous he is very devoted to hia ecna when they are setting ana does his part of the hatching with true marital gallantry they divide the time with great precision from a few hours before sunrise until shortly after sundown the hen ostrich keeps guard over the nest her plumage forming the best protection during daylight the male ostrich sits all night biar plumage being invisible in the dark and therefore affording the most secrecy the change is made with astonishing regularity any intruder within the camp who approaches the nest whilst the female bird is setting meets with warm welcome the male bird men being particularly ticul arly pugnacious the thorn bush serves however to keep him at a distance until the nest is reached the bird then changes its demeanor be coming suddenly a creature altogether lie stands by in a beseech ing attitude whilst the eggs are being handled aa if fearful that the precious objects should be broken this meekness of mien lasts however only as long as the eggs are in danger after which the fierceness of the bird seems to be redoubled and the bush is a very essential companion the expensive feature or ostrich raising is the space required for it fifteen acres of ground is often allotted to each bird and one farm accommodate ing ostriches is acres in ex tent in ane early days of ostrich hunting in the south african states was given for an ostrich ana 50 for an egg before the war the price had cheapened by overproduction over production to 23 for an ostrich and 23 cents for an egg the first plucking an ostrich gets Is when it h seven months old the young bird are driven into peculiarly shaped coops or boxes by mounted kaffits firs once inside these boxes the ostriches can do no kicking until they have been plucked ajio large we w e wing feathers are first clipped a email piece of the quill being left which has to be removed laier with forceps the clipping is done previous to the ime when the birds are ready tor bolting molting so they may be secured while they retain their greatest beauty the tail leathers in the cock aird ana drab in the hen are pulled and also the blacic or drab feathers from just below and above tho kings come twenty or thirty leathers are taken from each wing and as many from the tail the large white wing feathers from the cock bird are known as plumes and are the most valuable |