198 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. [Mar. 2, 1920. 



Next in order of date we come to Bulletin No. 72 (August, 1909), New 

 Mexico College of Agriculture, entitled " Denatured Alcohol from Tunas 

 and other sources," by Messrs. Hare, Mitchell and Bjerregoard. This is a 

 speciallyvaluable bulletin, and the most important contribution to the subject 

 so far. The conclusions will be found at p. 51, and are only partly favourable 

 to the enterprise in the United States (the home of prickly pears) of making 

 alcohol from the fruits on a commercial scale. 



I could quote other work and alleged work, but so far 1 cannot see mucli 

 hope of prickly pear fruits being economically valuable as a source of indus- 

 trial alcohol in Australia at the present time. 



3.— Fibre. 



The Traiisraal Agncullural Journal for October, 1909, p. 67, refers to 

 " Mr. Gibson's " statement in regard to the fibre, but information had been 

 sought from the Imperial Institute which stated that the value of the fibre 

 had been greatly overrated. In the bulletin of the Institute for 1910, p. 43, 

 is a report on "Prickly Pear and its Utilization."' At p. 44 the report of 

 the supposed Brisbane chemist is referred to, and his exaggerated state- 

 ments are mentioned under the further heads of alcohol and sugar. 



l^egarding the proposed utilization of the fibre it contains for paper 

 making the results are discounted, partly because of the inherent inferiority 

 of the fibre, and partly because of the high percentage of non-fibrous matter 

 in the plant. 



Under the headings " The Utilization of the Prickly Pear," AgricultKral 

 News, West Indies, 23rd July, 1910, p. 235, and " The Cactus Discounted," 

 Hawaiian Forester and Agriculturist, Sept., 1910, ]>. 243, the discussion is 

 continued. These are prickly pear countries. 



Further information (" Report of the Queensland Prickly Pear Com- 

 mission, 1914 ") has been acquired, and it sup])orts the conclusion that 

 ])ricklypear fibre cannot compete with other fibres in the market at present. 



4.^Mucilage as a Component of Whitewash. 



The use of prickly pear in making whitewash is frequently met with in 

 the West Indies. 



In regard to this matter, a note contained in The Colonizer for November, 

 1910, drawing attention to a similar employment of the prickly pear in 

 Uruguay, is of some interest. It is stated that the white colour of the farm 

 buildings in that State serves for special attraction, even during the wet 

 season. The mode of employing the " leaves " is stated to be to slice them, 

 macerate them in water for twenty-four hours, and then to add the lime 

 and mix well. The endurance of whitewash thus made forms a matter for 

 particular comment. {West Indian Agricultural News, (ith January, 1912, 

 ]>. 8.) 



The West Indian and Uruguayan practice is more or less followed in tropical 

 countries where prickly pear is abundant. 



