Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/34

14 Ostrich farming was at this time being rapidly extended throughout the colony, as it was found more profitable than any other industry. It was certainly precarious, as the sale of plumes in large quantities depended entirely upon fashion in Europe and America, but as no other feather can compare with that of the ostrich as an ornament for ladies' hats, there was a likelihood of the demand being maintained. This industry was of great benefit to the colony. The large profits enabled many farmers to redeem the mortgages upon their properties, and fencing, previously almost unknown except for gardens, became common. The plumage of different birds varies in quality and in degrees of whiteness, hence a careful selection was needed for breeding purposes, and choice birds brought almost fabulous prices. The ostrich of North Africa has feathers of purer white than those of the south of the continent, and in 1876 four choice birds were imported from Barbary by Messrs. Adler & Co., of Port Elizabeth. But the expense of obtaining them and bringing them out was so great that when they were offered for sale by auction it was not covered, and the experiment was not repeated.

As if to compensate for the profits derived from ostrich farming, two insect pests at this time made their appearance, and did an immense amount of damage. One of these was the dorthesia, commonly called the Australian bug, because it was first observed on trees of Australian origin. How it came into the country is not known, but in 1873 some blackwood trees in the Cape peninsula were seen to be infested with it. All efforts to destroy it were in vain, and with amazing rapidity it spread until all the beautiful blackwood trees, with which the streets of many villages throughout the colony were adorned, were utterly destroyed. From the blackwood it spread to the orange trees, and soon appeared to be almost omnivorous, not even the strawberry plants escaping. The orange groves of the western districts, from which many families made