I asked," continued Harry, "about the yield of feathers, and was
told that the average yield was about fifty dollars annually to a good
bird. The feathers ripen at the time of incubation and are injured by
the process, so that the artificial incubator, by releasing the birds
from duty on the nest, is of special value.

"I remarked," said Harry, "that, considering the increase in the flocks
and the money obtained from the feathers, ostrich farming ought to be
very profitable."

"Well, it is profitable in a general way," replied Mr. Shaffner, "but
that is not by any means the rule. There are farmers who have never made
anything by it, and it has its drawbacks, like everything else. The
birds are subject to diseases of various kinds, and there is a parasitic
worm on some farms that is very destructive. Wild beasts kill the birds,
and I myself have lost three fine ostriches this year in that way. I
know one farm on which eighty-five birds were originally placed. In the
very first year twenty-seven were lost, thirteen by cold and wet, three
by diphtheria, six killed by natives, three by fighting, and two by
falling into holes. Out of sixty eggs, nineteen were destroyed by crows.
These birds would take stones in their claws, fly to a point directly
over the nest, and then let the stones fall on the eggs, thus breaking
them, so that they could get at the contents of the shells. The
remaining eggs were sent to a neighboring farm to be artificially
incubated, but only ten of them hatched out. So, you see," the gentleman
continued, "ostrich farming has its hard times, like everything else."

After inspecting the ostrich farm our friends were entertained at a
substantial dinner in the house of their host, and in the afternoon were
driven to the railway station, whence they returned to Cape Town, having
well enjoyed their first excursion.

That evening Dr. Whitney received an invitation to visit a large sheep
farm about thirty miles from Cape Town, accompanied, as before, by his
two nephews. He accepted the invitation, and the trio took an early
train for their destination. They were met at the station by the owner
of the establishment, and were speedily shown through the entire place.
Sheep farming was less a novelty to our young friends than ostrich
farming, and consequently they had much less interest in seeing the
sights of the establishment. Harry wrote a brief account of their visit,
and we are permitted to copy from it.