COUNTRY CHIT-CHAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4470, 11 March 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

COUNTRY CHIT-CHAT.

[Written for the Weekly Heraxd.3 The last mail steamer from California brought a consignment of Beeds from the well-known seed firm, Peter Henderson and Co., of New York. The parcel consists of a variety of maize corn as grown in various parts of the American continent, and used there as articles of food. We seldom or never see our own colonial-grown maize dished up.for our table, for the simple reason that it is only considered as fit for cattle, but several of the kinds of American corn will be found palatable and if acclimatised prove an agreeable change from Hobart Town jams and pumpkin pie. Amongst the staples are four varieties of sugar corn,such as Darlings, mammoth, large eight-rowed, and early red —all these are sweet corns. There is also the Tuscarora, from which maizena is made, white flint, northern and southern Dent's large Canada, Stowell's evergreen, east Naragansett, and Hawkin's improved. They are certainly a capital selection and our farmers would do well to secure a few of the cobs. There is only a limited supply and many applications have already been made for some of the kinds. Mr. R. Brewin, seed merchant, of Queen-street, is the importer. The destruction of birds at the shrine of fashion is being carried on, as far as the feathered tribe are concerned, to an alarming extent. Indeed, owing to the present style of decoration of ladies hats, some varieties of small birds are likely to be entirely exterminated. In England the household robin is becoming scarce from this cause; while the kingfisher, the fincheß, and yellow-hammers are scarcely procurable. The sea gull has furnished an almost countless number of wings, with which to complete the saacy-looking hat of the stylish belle, who never thinks that she is wearing the price of a life. Now, if ladies must wear feathers in their hats, they should be persuaded to stick to the ostrich feather, as these being in perfection only when the season of moulting comes, are cropped with no injury to the bird, and now that domestication of the ostrich is made a practical project the supply can be made equal to the demand. Whilst on this subject a few particulars concerning ostrich farming will give some idea of the importance of the bramch. In fact, by giving these particulars no better idea can be afforded of the growth of the industry of ostrich-breeding. Nothing authentic has yet been published showing the actual extent of the business, and the position it has attained in the commercial relations with British South African possessions and the rest of the world until recently, when the JAve Stock Journal devoted an article to the subject. Taking Cape Colony first, the quantity of ostrich feathers exported in 18G2 was 70611b. valued at £40,457. During the following ten years the maximum export was reached in 1870, when29,7251b5., or over four times the quantity exported in ISC2, were sent out of the colony, their declared value being £91,229, or little more than twice the value of the earlier year's produce. But in the three years ending 1875 very steady and large progress appears to have been made, as the following figures will show, the last item in each line being the average price per lb.: — lb. £ £ 1872 20,695 155.024 .... 59 1873 .... 31,681 .... 169.077 .... 605 1874 36,829 205,610 5 0 Turning to the adjoining colony of Natal it will be found that the production of ostrich feathers in the years ISGS-69-70 to have been as follows lb. £ £ 18fi8 4061 .... 8830 .... 2-1 ISO 9 2133 4767 2-2 1870..... 2003 .... 6364 .... 30S Here is a decreasing production and an in creasing price. But the Natal markets are so closely allied with those of Cape Colony, that these figures must not be read as indicating a rising price immediately and solely consequent on a diminished supply ; for the diminished yield in Natal, the total production of which was in 1870 only one-fourteenth of that of the adjoining colony, aud which now probably bears a much smaller proportion to the total yield, was not sufficient to influence the whole market to the extent to which the above figures Bcem to indicate. It is more likely to be the case that the Natal returns bear out the fact which are pointed out, that the value of ostrich feathers is increasing, and that it will be many years before the industry of farming the birds for their feathers will suffer from an over supply. This view iB still further borne out by the fact that the production of ostrich feathers in South America is becoming a very extensive and important industry, and that large supplies of feathers are annually shipped from the different ports of that continent. The Government of the Cape has forbidden the destruction of wild ostriches under heavy penalties ; but their haunts are eagerly invaded for the purpose of capturing young birds or taking the eggs to be hatched by artificial heat, whereas only a few years ago they were supposed to be almost valueless. In many cases large rents are paid to the Government for land generally looked upon as barren and almost worthless, but which have acquired a new value in the fact of their being frequented aB breeding-places by flocks of wild ostriches. As the time approaches for the chicks to break the eggs in their natural hreeding-placeß, a very close watch is kept upon the birds and their nests, and the young caught and removed before they are more than a day or two old ; if they are left longer they would be difficult to take without injury, as at three days old they are very vigorous and strong, and can travel long distances. They begin to pick up food as soon as they are hatched. Sometimes a portion of the eggs are removed from the natural nests and placed in the artificial injcubators ; but care is taken to leave a certain number of eggs, and sot to disturb thebreeding birds, for fear of driving them from their places of resort. The incubator referred to ■as generally used for the hatching of ostrich eggs, is thus described in a hand-book of the Cape Colony :—" The incubator consists

"of : en-box;" about 'three ~ feet - square, open from', above,' jand capable ,of coiitaimng twenty-five eggs. >; It rests upon a copper or zinc..pan.or- cistern, three inchcs .deep and tho size, of i the box. This is filled with,hot water, -and has four or five openings through which the vapour ascends into the box. The warm temperature of the water is maintained by a paraffin lamp kept burning, and underneath the pan ; but in some cases this has been found objectionable, as the fumes of the lamp affect the young chicks as they leave the egg, and it is an improvement to have the lamp burning iu an adjoining compartment, an extension of the cistern or pan about a foot wide being carried through the partition or wall, and the lamp placed under it. The heat can be regulated as necessary, thermometers being constantly in use. The temperature of the u>ox where the eggs are placed is 102 ° Fahr. wheu they are first put in; after two weeks it is gradually reduced to 100 °, and in two weeks more to 9S °. The period of incubation is forty-two days. The eggs are turned and aired by opening the box and blanket covering once or twice a day. A fortnight before the expiration of the time they arc held up against the light to examine their condition, and a week after are slightly, but carefully, punctured near the top, with a sharp-pointed steel, to enable any of the chicks in weak condition the more readily to break the shell. Wheu hatched, they are turned, kept warm, and fed with cut lucerne, and allowed to run about their inclosures like ordinary fowls." The rate at which a flock of ostriches will multiply is very rapid. One breeder with twenty-four breeding birds reared over two hundred healthy chicks in one season. Another with six birds, four hens and two cocks (the usual proportion), turned out in 1572 one hundred and thirty ostriches. So great has been the success of those who have embarked in the industry that new establishments are continually being started, and a keen competition exists for breeding birds. An ostrich a week old, indeed, is worth £10, at three months £15, and at fifteen months £40, while a fullgrown bird will fetch £150 or more. How true it is that one-half the world does not know how the other half lives ! Agricola.