OSTRICH FARMING IN AFRICA.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 206, 4 September 1873, Page 2

OSTRICH FARMING IN AFRICA.

Probably the most peculiar poultry raising in the world at the present time is what is called ostrich farming near the southern extremity of Africa. There this bird has been led captive and in captivity, is kept for the sole purpose of producing the feathers, so highly valued for the adornment of the female head. The leading ostrich farmer is a Mr Douglas, of Grahamstown, who possesses a flock of 150 birds. "They are produced from eggs, brought m i by the native bushmen, and hatched in an incubator invented anl pitented by Mr Douglas, and the cost of which is £SO, The runs are fenced in, and the food, cheaply furnished by nature, is the prickly pear, with which the slerile soil is abundantly stocked This fruit, the produce of a species of cactus, and an abundant supply of goodlysized pebbles, furnish ample food. The j oung ostriches during the three first days of their life eat nothing but pebbles. The eccentricity of taste strengthens with their strength, and in their after life they have beeii known la gobble up carpenters' hammers, chisela, and nails and bolts, and occasionally for variety to line their stomachs with a felt hat and a pair of pantaloons. This civilised nutriment, however, tends to produce a very superior sort of feathers, and each plume produced in conhnement is worth £1, while those of the wild birds' are worth but a fourth of thjs sum. The adult cocks are dangerou* birds, and break the peace on all occasions, attacking their owner and keepers, horses, oxen, and any living thing that apr proaches them. Their weapon of offence and defence is. the leg, which is armed with a sharp, strong middle claw, with one stroke of which they can rip opeu the body of a horse or ox, and break a man's thigh. In spite of such little drawbacks as these the business is pleasant, popular, and profitable, not to say spiced with excitement at feather-pulling time. The eggs may be purchased for a shilling a piece, and as each one contains several quarts^ and nothing less than one can be cooked at once, a constant source of trouble arises when it is desired to eat one. Already efforts have been made to improve the breed, but they have failed for the reason that cross-bred eggs will not hatch. Wherever the camel can be acclimated, the ostrich may be. It is being introduced into Australia, and it might possibly be a grand investment to introduce a flock as an experiment upon the dry stony plains, where the prickly pear abounds, and thorny cactuses, in which these strange birds delight, with sufficient rocks and stones, including rubies and diamonds, all easily digestible to these creatures, are produced in any quantity. — New York Tribune.