FEATHER INDUSTRIES 181 



tempt to breed the birds in captivity. The Ar- 

 gentine farms have brought wealth to their 

 owners, and for a time the American farnis were 

 prosperous. 



Twenty-two ostriches were introduced into 

 California from Cape Town in 1882, to form a 

 nucleus for the industry in the United States. 

 Forty-four more arrived in 1890, and later — ^in 

 1901 — ^twelve Nubian birds. From these seventy- 

 eight birds, then, came virtually the entire Amer- 

 ican stock of several thousand. 



Success followed the first attempts at breeding. 

 Within a few years thriving farms had been estab- 

 lished in California, Arizona, Arkansas, North 

 Carolina, and Florida. By 1910 there were ap- 

 proximately 6100 breeding ostriches in the United 

 States. Of these about 80 per cent, were owned 

 in Arizona, 17 per cent, in California, 2 per cent, 

 in Arkansas, and the remainder in the other; 

 States. A breeding pair at that time was worth 

 from $700 to $1000, specially fine birds sometimes 

 bringing that much apiece. Young ostriches were 

 less valuable. The market value of plumes va- 

 ried, but in good years from thirty to fifty dollars ' 

 worth of feathers would be produced by one bird, 

 and as high as ninety dollars by exceptional ones. 



It is the custom to pluck American ostriches 

 every nine months instead of twice a year as in 

 South Africa. About a pound of feathers is ob- 

 tained at a clipping. These are roughly sorted 



