2y^ THE OSTKRII FEATHER INDL'STRV. 



cated Ostriches in South Africa; the weight of feathers ex- 

 ported was 17,000 lbs., most of which were wild birds' feathers, 

 valued at £65,000. In 1875, ten years later, there were 32,000 

 domesticated Ostriche,s; the Aveight of feathers from wild and 

 domesticated birds exported was 100,000, valued at £300,000. 

 In 1 891 there were 154,000 domesticated Ostriches; weight of 

 feathers exported, 212,000 lbs. — this probably included a small 

 weight of wild birds' feathers; value, £563,000. In 1904 there 

 were 307,000 d(jniesticated Ostriches ; weight of feathers ex- 

 ported was 470,000 lbs., valued at i 1.058,000. In 1908 there 

 were 700,000 domesticated Ostriches ; weight of feathers ex- 

 ])orted 800,000 lbs., valued at £2,098,000. In 191 3 there were 

 J. 000,000 ll)s. of feathers exported, Aalued at £2,750,000. 



From the above figures, it will be seen how rapidly the 

 Ostrich feather industry developed in South Africa, and it must 

 be remembered that when Ostriches were first farmed the 

 methods adopted were naturally crude, due to want of know- 

 ledge. The feathers were pulled from the wings every six 

 months, when tliey reached the highest state of perfection. 

 This practice was soon found to lie very detrimental to the 

 feather-producing capacity of the bird, and it was found that 

 by clipping the feathers, and after clip])ing leaving the (|uills 

 in for a period of three months, and removing these just about 

 the time they would JTave been slied by the bird, far better 

 results were obtained, and that the l)ird would go on iimduc- 

 ing good feathers for ])ractically an indefinite ])eriod. This 

 method is absolutely humane, and the bird certainly does not 

 receive any injury whatsoever, not even the small injury that a 

 sheep will receive in shearing when he is occasionally nipped by 

 the shearer. Then, again, feeding was found to have a very 

 marked efifect on the feather growth, and this led to the pamper- 

 ing of the bird to such an extent that at the present day the 

 Ostrich is jiractically fed on everything that it desires. It 

 Avas found that this method of humouring the appetite of the 

 bird ])roduce(l the best results. Tlie fact that the highly-fed 

 Ostrich gave the greatest financial return was the cause of the 

 erection of the great majority of the biggest irrigation works 

 undertaken in South .\frica, and the return was so enormous 

 that many irrigation works which could not possibly have been 

 undertaken otherwise were carried out as i^aying propositions, 

 and are to-day a source of great wealtli to the country. 

 Ostriches also gave rise to a great deal of first-grade fencing, 

 as it w^as found that only fences of the best tvoe were suitable, 

 not only in keeping the birds in the paddocks in which thev 

 are run, but also bad fences were found to be responsible for a 

 number of casualties, as birds would be cut and disabled in such 

 fences. It will therefore be seen that whatever happens to the 

 Ostrich industry in the future — and there is no reason to believe 

 that the industrv will ever go to the wall — the farmer is under 

 an inestimable debt of gratitude to the Ostrich as being the 



