OSTRICH FARMING IN AUSTRALIA.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1152, 20 September 1882, Page 4

OSTRICH FARMING IN AUSTRALIA.

The “ Australasian ” says:—“ It is gratifying to note that ostrich farming in Australia, which has long been a suggestion, is, at any rate, in one instance a suceessful reality. The “ South Australian Register ’ has an interesting account of a visit to an ostrich farm establish sd by Mr W. Malcolm, at Barossa, near Gawler. Although the industry is but a very young one, it is making rapid progress, and gives promise of a large future. Great difficulties were experienced by Mr Malcolm in getting his ostriches alive from the Cape, but he at last surmounted them, and is now able to rely on the natural increase of the birds for all his requirements. He has 30 birds on the farm, young and i old, and of these, only nine were im- ( poted, and the incubators are engaged j hatching more. The birds live to a I great age, attaining, it is stated, a cenI tury, and the hen birds lay from 50 to I 100 eggs a-year, so that the increase is • rapid. The experiment favorably determines two points. One is that the birds thrive well in the Australian olimate, and on the food supplied by the interior, the salt-bush, it is stated, suiting them admirably. And the other is, that the feathers come to great perfection here, and are of high marketable value. There does not seem to be any particular difficulty in the management of the birds after a farm is set well-going, and the crop is one of the lightest and as easily convev» ed to market that any producer could desire.