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Evervb «\y who went to Central Park yesterday want I to see the .herd of twenty-two ostriches that has just arrived. They are full-grown birds, and are the only lot ever imported for breeding p i *pos s. It*was a cold day for the ostriches, however, and they were not at horn * except to a few favorite callers. They are confined in the deer hut, which is nice and warm. They are quite gentle and affectionate, but, being full grown, look down on even a six-footer. One came up to Superintendent Conklin, and, after gazing mildly at him for a minute, ma le a sudden snap at his breastpin and another at his watch chain.“They are worse than a gang of pickpockets'.” said he: ‘They won t leave a button on your coats if you dotT t watch them.”In fact, several of the party were minus buttons, on leaving the mild-eyed strangers. They look a little worn by their long voyage, and will improve in appearance after a few days. They are fed liberally with corn, potatoes, and other vegetables.Mr. Protheroe, a wealthy Englishman, who owns them, and has cultivated ostriches for their feathers for years, told the Sun reporter how he came to try to breed and farm them in the United States. “These ostriches,” he said, “were brought by me to Buenos Ayres from South Africa a year ago. I have a large farm about 500 miles from Cape Town, on the Orange River. I started an ostrich farm in Buenos Ayres partly because business and trade had collapsed in South Africa, where they have just gone through a great panic, and I thought I could make more money elsewhere. I have about 350 birds in Buenos Ayres, but concluded to try the experiment also in the United States. Ten birds are males, and twelve females. Ail are about eight years old. Farmers in the United States have ordered ostriches from me, but I did not send them, thinking they could not survive the passage. I shall examine the best places in this country to start a farm. it is a mistake to suppose an ostrich can’t stand cold weather and climatic changes. In South Africa ice forms some nights nearly an inch thick, and we have snow also. Both melt during the day. We leave the ostriches out doors at night, and never feed them. They live on grass, twigs of trees, and the like, but will eat anything. When they can't glt; food, however, they die easily. They swallow large stones to promote di tion, and k *op them in their crop until ■* i the v wear out.I “Ostriches are of no use for anythin*I but their feathers. Never tried them * | for draught purposes. Their feathers [ 1 are picked every s veil months from the time thev are eight months old. The average life of an ostrich is forty years, though in Africa they tell stories of centenarian ostriches. We get about a pound of feathers at each plucking* The pure white are the most valuable, selling at -9175 to $200 a pound. These are from the wings. Next come the black, drab, fancy and tail feathers. A fair average would be sixty dollars a pound, ■ and at that price I could make 100 per | cent, more here than in Africa, whereeverything is se expensive. A camp , there would cost twenty times as much ias here.“I have eaten the eggs from young hens. They have a delicious flavor. Eggs from old hens would be too expensive to eat. These ostriches I have would breed in New York in summer time, but not in winter. We use incubators in Buenos Avres, but not in Africa. I had one camp in Africa of 1,100 acres. It was surrounded by a wire fence four feet six inches high. They won’t tly and won’t jump over % fence higher than they can feel with their necks.“These ostriches stand me in about $700 each,” concluded Mr. Protheroe, as one of them made a dash at his last coat button. Mr. Protheroe savs that a fabulous profits have been made by breeders, and cited the case of a gentleman who made $3,000 in a year out of two hens and a cock by selling ostrich eggs, besides keeping their feathers.— if b Sun.
Newspaper Details
Dakota Daily Leader
Huron, South Dakota, US
Sat, Jan 27, 1883
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Los A.
CA, USA 09 Apr 2025
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