VOL. LVII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., JANUARY 4, 1901
The Struthio Uamelus.
Editors Indiana  Farmer:
Forty years ago thi-ri' wore no domesticated ostriches unless ihc.se fow that fol-
lowed the perigriiwiting Bedouins in the
deserts of Arabia can be called domestic
cated. Until the liltli century this OEM-
rure has lieen the wild denizen of the
pathless wastes of Africa and Arabia.
pursued by the hunter aod destroyed by
the carnirora. having nothing to protect
itself but irs speed, which is more rapid
than that of the fleetest horse. About the
year I860 sunn- French officers in Algiers,
n province in Africa under tbe dominion
of the French, enclosed within a park some
wild ostriches, these lunched and the result of tliis hatching was the Initiation of
.that vast Cape industry, promoted l,y
British capital, that now supplies tin
civilized world with the ostrich feather of
commerce. The effect of this supply is
fecund in the fact that whereas at one time
strieh feather was a rare product
n rara avis, today it is found in the
latulbox   o every   woman   in   the
laud: indeed iwo million dollar. ai
leave the I'nited States for tho London
market to pay for the feathers of the
Cape ostriches. It was about, 30 years
.-cite-- the discovery, if we may use the
term, of the domesticated ostrich, that the
ostrich came to America. About 1885
Mr. Edwin Cawsten, the pioneer ostrich
farmei in the United States, embarked
from Natal. Africa, in a small sailing ship
with 52 n( these winged giants and landed
the whole cargo, minus a few who perished from seasickness, at Galveston. From
thence tbey were brought by rail to California. These emigrants have all passed
away seriatim, earing a large number of
ostrich chicks, these have grown and multiplied until now we liave au American
ostrich population of nearly 1.000 ostriches, all native sons, as it were, rendering persistently in plumage their tribute to the American millinery market
and dry goods demand of this great republic. Yet it is only when the demand of
tliis country for the product of the American ostrich shall lie entirely supplied to
tin- exclusion of tbat of tho Cape, tbat the
dream of the pioneer 15 years ago will be
realized.
The ostrich farms that at the present
time exist in the South, at Fasadena, California. San Antonio. Texas, and Jacksonville. Florida, are not entirely devoted to
tbo purpose of raising ostriches for the
sake of their feathers; those institutions
are all located qs the reader Observes,
near the fashionable southern resorts,
where every year a procession of tourists
from New York. New England and Canada proceeds to sequester in the magnificent hotels that adorn these cities. It is
as places of interest to these sojourners
that he osrich fanners of today in America derive no inconsiderable share of their
revenues. Admission is charged to the
public; it may lie safe to consider that
there are few more interesting sights to
one unacquainted with the creature, than
a typical ostrich farm, where are found
the os,riches just entering tbe world from
their immense •■■-*'-'- and tho majestic patriarchs tliat range 1<» foot high and remind
■ me to some taxtont of tbo ancient monstrosities that existed before tin! flood.
One of the largest and most complete
of these institutions is the Fasadena Ostrich Farm: here upwards of 100 ostriches
of all ages are assembled to exhibit themselves tec the ever Interested public and to
multiply as rapidly as tho glorious climate
■■i California and tbe connivance of their
owinr  will   permit.      Here  are   the   nests
of the creatures—merely large boles in the
ground—full of ostrich eggs, around which
the parents ceaselessly perambulate, tbe
boll witb tbe assiduous care and timidity
of a mother, the male ostrich witb the defiant attitude of a warrior. Indeed, should
you venture up to tbo fence which divides
The ostrich family from the world, this
monarch of tbe ornithological creation
will step forward and endeavor to kick,
indicating that were you inside the enclosure injury would be done. In Africa
a forked pole is used by tbe care takers
of tbo ostrich farms to protect the person
against those ferocious bipeds. But the
ostrich is not brave and bold except at the
breeding  season,  and  then  only   tbe  males
fore the ostrich chick has arrived at adult
aye- .iiid may be expected to furnish those
beautiful illumes tbat delight tbe- heart
of womankind iiml add so much decoration to tho already beautiful. From infancy, to age, therefore, the ostrich is witb
us to-day in the south, tin object of interest: but a few years have to pass when
the ostrich population will have so much
increased in America tbat the American
millinery market will bo supplied by it, the
outflow of money for the Cape product to
Ihe ccld world stopped, and the American
women adorned only with the ostrich
feather of the American ostrich. In the
light of the precedents al the Cape, showing   forth   such    extraordinary     progress
Mr. Hobbs in an able manner, and some
of our fanners are talking of starting to
raise more small fruits. <'. T. Me-Callie
read a very interesting paper on "Clover
culture." "Growing corn" was a subject
assigned to I), t*. Hopkins and the paper
read by bim was well received and full of
■j: I   thoughts.      -I-   <•■   Ferry,  one  of the
best of hog feeders told tin- feeders and
farmers of our institute something about
feeding and finishing hogs for thc markot
tbat was valuable to all. "What a fanner can bo," was assigned to W. •'. Coffey.
Ml*. Coffey certainly had the paper of the
institute. Ilc started out, to tell us what
wo all could lie. and told it in such a way
that everybody was pleased ami thought
tbey would go homo and commence, farming anow. I-\. H. Gilchrist told us how
to feed onr cattle to make tbo most money
cut ccf our food. Many of our farmers
and feeders concluded to follow his plan
of reeding to a certain extent. Zero
weat ber was the cause of trains being
behind time and Miss Laura G. Hay, of
Furdue University, didn't get to Hope aaJ
a great many were badly disappointed.
Dne Who Was There.
show a belligerent spirit. While the
brains of an ostrich weigh only an ounce
and a half bis intelligence is not of so
low an order as may bo deduced trom the
writings of historians and common report.
He bas sense enough to reject uneatable
products, such as tobacco for instance,
and to partake of only such as are edible;
it is observed from his behavior in domestic life that the allegation regarding bis
running away and hiding bis head in a
bush cannot lie founded in fact; nor is it
believed to be true, after years of observation at the Cape, that the ostrich leaves
its eggs in tbe desert to bo hatched by the
sun; these are merely superstitutions tbat
have crept into ostrich lore, perhaps in
consequence of the want of familiarity by
mankind with this fleering wanderer of
tbe desert,
Tlie incubators a! the Fasadena Ostrich
Farm furnish a never ending interest ami
amusement to tbe intelligent observer, or
natural historian. It is wonderful to see
the operations of nature as developed bore:
the rows of ostrich eggs open to inspection
result in observing one after the other open
mid ostrich chicks emerge from their 4*2
days confinement; verily the breathing of
the chick before it arrives can lie heard,
even tho motions in tho shell. Nature
loaves a space ii: every shell to supply atmosphere to the inhabitant. Comical indeed are the motions of tho young ostrich,
whicli. passing from strength to strength,
is finally found walking np and down the
ground, feeding ecu small pebbles. This
provender is all that it requires the first
day; tho second day, however, and overy
day thereafter for some time it ceaselessly
nibbles all day the green alfalfa that grows
so plentifully in California, ami ore six
months have elapsed is as tall as its
parents. This rapid growth is owing to
the green food it consumes, for it has
been found impossible to raise an- ostrich
on dry food.    Four years havo to pass be-
witliin the short space of 30 years, congratulations may even now bo considered
in   order. N.   E.   M.
Indiana Corn Growers Association.
Editors  Indiana  Fanner:
This association will hold its annual
meeting Wednesday, Jan. S, 1902, at the
State House. Indianapolis. A. D. Should,
of the University of Illinois, who is doing
so much for the' improvement of corn in
that, Stato, will speak both morning and
afternoon cm "Breeding and selection of
seed com," and give a practical lesson 00
"Corn judging." There will bo an address by A. O. lank ridge. Frosidont, and
another. ""Making a corn growing soil"
by E. M. C. Hobbs, of Salem. Gov. Dm-
bitr writes tbat be will probably havo
something to say   to the Association.
If ynu have corn you are proud of bring
HI ears with you. There will not bo a
better place in the Stato to show it. At
the State fair central Indiana was tbe
whole show. We know northern ami
southern   Indiana   bave   as   good.       Bring
sc   with  you.      But  whether you  bring
corn or not you cannot afford, if yon expect to bo up-to-date or show corn" any-
Where, to miss Prof. Shomel's talks. He
knows a ha of things about corn and how-
to grow it too. Reduced fares on till
railroads. A. O. Lockridge, Bros.: L.
B. Clore, Vice Pres.; II. I-'. McMahan.
Sec'v.
Letter From one of our Oldest Friends.
Kditors  Indiana Farmer:
I am 74 years old and the cold interferes witl my canvassing. Taking tbis
into consideration I think [ have doi.e
pretty well. it matters little whether I
got a premium or not, I can be like the
man who passed by a beautiful flower-
garden, another man may own it, but he
cannot prevent my enjoying its beauty
and fragrance. So with me. I have the
pleasure of nailing and seeing tho good
results of my labor in ~ ng the names
for  the   Farmer,   and  t      j. hould  be recompense   enough   foi ' Some  of my
subscribers said to me
_-
it is good for
 '   '           "'     ie. , * ic      IC    fl.,r,,,l     loi
the farmer in the soi | 2Pi part of the
State to grow upon hiss _3 might prove
a failure hero." I s-j 3* ' • them, can't
yon write to the Farm< =r_well as those
Southern farmers and t. '■ ~- ur experience
in- farming and making it pay the tiller of
the soil? I urge every subscriber to send
in to the Farmer all the good things that
be learns from time to timo. There are
so many good things yet to learn in farming, as now and valuable things present
themselves every year by those who aro
experimenting, and it seems to me that
many more might have something to say
that would be of interest to the readers
of your paper. We think we learn something by attending the fanners' institutes
in regard to farming, by hearing from one
another. Some will give their experience
with cattle and sheep, others on hogs and
chickens, others could tell how to get the
best returns in wheat culture, also how
to obtain- a good crop of corn in a dry
season, liko the one just past. All this
can be road and learned from one another
through the Farmer. If all subscribers
would take a living interest in the paper.
as tiny should if thoy want it to interest
all. thoy should help what tbey can in that
direction. J.   D.   Beers.
Middlebury.
Bartholomew County Institute.
Editors Indiana  Farmer:
O. F. I.ane and E. M. C. Hobbs are
hustlers .it the farmers' institutes. With
zero weather every clay, Hope bad a good
mooting and quite an interest was taken
at tbis institute. "What I have done
with exhausted lands." was handled by O.
F. Lane in a way to make our farmors
begin to think they can reclaim and build
no of their lost land. "Small fruits
and  bow to grow them,"  was handled  by
Tbe* total popular vote of the United
States in 1000 was within a small fraction
of 14,000,000. and the total population of
tbo oountry, including Territories which
have no vote on the presidency, was 76,-
000.000 . Practically, therefore, there was
• mo vote cast for each live aud a half
inhabitants.
Dr. Nansen has a liking for bright joint's. That is why bis ship, the Frem,
was painted green, gray, scariel and white,
picked out with gold.