South Bend News-Times, Volume 34, Number 254, South Bend, St. Joseph County, 11 September 1917 — Page 10

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Cost of Living by Adding to Our

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as Much as a Cow and Lays tke Equivalent of 600 Hen's Eggs a I ear By W. H. Ballcu, Sc.D. THE United States Government is conconsidering plans to put ostrich on the everyday menus of everyday families. The intention is to make the ostrich help out the hen, not only in its task of providing -white and dark meat, hut also in eggs. To this end an investigation just completed shows that the average ostrich is the equivalent of 175 broilers this includes the long neck and legs, much of which can be used for sour) and that one female ostrich will lay the equivalent of COO hens' eggs per year. Furthermore, great parts of our southwestern desert region provide ideal places for ostrich farms. Thus, the Government will point out in its report, not only can a new food staple be added, which will bring the cost of chicken down and with it, its own price, but put into use vast stretches of land

which now raise nothing but sand, sago brash, lizards, rattlesnakes, bugs, horned toads and cactus. Curiously enough, the thing which turned attention to the real possibilities of the ostrich was a discovery, not long ago, of the egg of a prehistoric ostrich in China. This egg is now in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and it was the comparison of its size with the size of eggs laid by modern ostriches that set the wheels of inquiry going. . it was known by scientists that the ancient eirs were much larger than those of to-day. But in making the comparisons it was dis-c(v(M-oi that while ostriches in the wild state lay eggs equivalent to 20 hens' eggs; under ideal conditions and intensive cultivation, they have, within twenty years, increased the .o of their eggs to the 5-pound mark; that is. an equivalent of more than 30 hens' eggs. Furthermore, it was found that under cultivation, in the same time, the birds have increased one third in size and weight. This remarkable , response, not only in growth of body, but of egg content under domesticity, set the Government experts thinking. Of course, there would be a limit to growth, both of bird and egg, but it seems that ostriches can be bred double the size they now are and with truly monstrous eggs, equivalent to perhaps GO to SO of those of the hen. All this can be done simply by giving them proper environment and, as has been said, the American desert regions otTer an ideal location for their breeding the taking of parental care of them, shielding them from thi rigors of nature, curbing their own tendencies of destroying and mailing one another in their natural tierce ( ' ibats, and supplying them with proper foods. But what does an ostrich taste like? Although western cities have been enjoying Ostrich meat on their tables for several years, the novelty was rirst introduced in New York by the large hotels last New Year's. Epicures voted the meat as superior in flavor to that of venison or turkev. The female ostrich averages fifteen eggs annually, the equivalent of 4.r0 hens' eggs, equally delicious as food and equally as valuable for all culinary purposes. The strich, as a market supplyer, however, presents no such possibilities as its keep, like fhat of hens or other domestic animals in the back yard. It is. like cattle and sheep, an animal of the ranch, to be grown in herds ami cared for by keepers. The bird thrives principally upon alfalfa, but in addition, likes vegetables, fruits, etc . where it is possible to get them. In addition, it requires quantities of ground glass or an equivalent of gravel, which makes for its digestion. Tlu- cost of keeping an ostrich is the same as that of a cow. Ostriches go in pairs the male solemnly taking a wife and keeping her during life. It should interest the romantic mind to know that the male courts his choice as regularlv and as lovingly as man is himself supposed to do. but without man's materialism of financial and social demands. Thus the matter of keep, cost of keep, food supply, mating and housing are matters of well settled and established principles. As to possible waste from the long legs and Deck of tho ostrich, there is no concern, since

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A Small Egg Showing the Baby Ostrich Just Emerging.

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The Ostrich Egg Compared to a Large Hen's Egg. Inset Is a Scene on an Arizona Des-rt Ostrich Ranch Showing, also, a Sun Motor Which Utilizes a Tiny Portion of the Heat That Goes to Waste Th-,xe. they reduce but little the weight of tbe bird. The leg bones doubtless contain marrow useful for soup, and the neck joints flesh is

equivalent to ox-tail. These are matters for chefs or just plain cooks to determine. The ostrich ess has the same nutritive value as that of a hen's egg? the same relative proportion of yolk, white and albuminous matter, only on a larger scale. The contents of the egg have the same capability of being emptied and kept indefinitely in containers, the same as bakers group the contents of hundreds of hens' eggs in bulk. The meat has likewise the same capability of hanging on the hook of the market shop as has the quarters of beef, lamb and pork. The Spring chicken, however, would hardly bear comparison with the Spring ostrich, as the ostrich chick weighs from twenty-five to thirty pounds, with ability to serve a large family, rather than a mere'double portion for two. Later, herein, will be the storv of the rapid growth of the ehiek and his speedy entry after birth into commercial form. Ostriches apparently never die, or at least, live to a green old age. The female lays eggs during life. As ostriches have only been under observation in America for thirty years, and as only one has died and that one from heart disease, we have

no way to estimate how long they do live. As to breeding, we only know that one pair has produced over 450 progeny in twenty-nine years, equivalent to 137,500 pounds of meat. Doubtless they cannot produce, or at least have not produced, more eggs than the limit given, but still larger eggs may be possible in the production of still larger birds under careful breeding and mating. At the present war prices of everything, it cannot be said that either ostrich eggs or meat is more expensive

than other kinds. At least 7 -" neither product has advanced in price or cost likp ntW Ostriches Make Splendid Racers, as This Picture of One Hitched rniraal foods Wöd ostrich to Liht Sur"y on ne f the W"ttrn Ranch"' Prov"eggs sell at $2.50 each, the equivalent same price, per pound, as turkeys. Ecrgs for of the price of an equal bulk of hens' eggs. breeding cost .1.00 each, aid shells for The flesh of young ostriches, weighing from museums 1.00 arid -.00 each, according to

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Two Kinds of Babies. Ostrich Chicks Just Hatched.

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25 to 30 pounds, sells in the markets at the size and polish.

0trieh egvs weigh about three and onequarter to live pounds. The egirs are laid one every other dav until twelve or thirteen have been accumulated. Sometimes the mother bird refuses to set, in which case the "jus arc put in an incubator for the reason liat the male bird, which usually covers hem during the night, will not do so unless mother covers them during the day. The egirs begin to hatch in about forty :s. and the chicks come out full hVdged d quite strong, standing abou twelve lies high. They are covered vith short, ubbv feathers, reminding one of a bunch .f dark colored excelsior. For the first two or three days the chick eats nothing but bits of gravel and sh 11. Then he begins on the tender shoots of alfalfa and other green food. - The ostrich chicks crrow very rapidly, increasing in size about a foot a month. During this period they require a great deal of attention and receive no eare whatever from the mother birds. During the incubation, however, the mothers are very faithful, covering the eggs during the hardest storms, even if the nest, which is merely a hole scooped in the ground, becomes tilled with water. The neck of an ostrich is a wonderful part of its anatomy. The average length of the neck is a little less than three feet. An adult ostrich, when in full swinp, covers about twenty-two feet at a stride, and can easily orit-dfstanee the fastest horse. Their trait. brth in running and walking has a peculiar swinging roll which at first seems awkward,

but there is ;i rhythm -ibout it that is really very graceful. The bill of ;m ostrich opens fully foul inches, and an adult ostrich makes no trouble over swallowing an orange whob a bis navel orange, with a diameter of three and one-half inches. Moreover, an ostrich will catch these oranges as fast as thv are tossi to him. swallowing them one after another until you can count ten or twelve hug3 globes slowly rolling down the long neck at the same time. TIm- California ostiich--are almost equally fond of sugar beMs, and quickly sua) up rectai.gular chunks measuring from thr -e to four inches and disposing of them much th" same as they do t.i oranges. The obi aw about "A stomach like an ostrieh," is not altogether beside the mar!:, for the ostrich will eat literally anything including nails and glass. They demand large quantities of gravc-l or other gritty suh-taiic.'. and are iriven a regular ration of broken bone and shell everv noon. The ostrich eats nearly as much as a cow. It is therefore no small matter to provide provender for hundreds of ostriches. They are extremely fond of gn-en alfalfa and eat several pounds a day. They arc also given large quantities of such vegetables as carrots, beets, turnips, etc. Their diet is carefully arranged as the result of many years' experience, sn : to produce the .silkiest, glossiest feathers. Moreover, the method of feeding and handling h - in-p-a- thi feather production of the ds very considerably.

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