May 3, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 327 



It is an improvement on the old brush-fire method, but the apparatus is more 

 cumbersome than those in which liquid fuel is used. Following are reports 

 from Stock Inspectoi's in February, 1920, on the subject : — 



The burner was used to some extent when it first came on the market. I watched it 

 fairly carefully and came to the conclusion that it was of no practical use for the destruc- 

 tion of pear, and that as a method of converting pear into stock feed it was a failure. — 

 C. Brooks, Scone. ' 



I have never seen the burner at work, and the only landholder who has tried the 

 process is Mr. Boydell, of VVeetah, and he does not consider the process practical. The 

 cost of labour is too g^eat, as the process requires two or three men to operate, and to keep 

 up the supply of wood required. There have been during the present drought large 

 numbers of cattle running on the pear areas about Pallamallawa, but the process has not 

 been in operation. — H. N. Copeland, Moree. 



The Chief Inspector of Agriculture (Mr. McDonald) states that, apart 

 from the labour required, stock do not care for pear singed by this apparatus. 

 This is probal)ly due to the objectionable flavour caused by the smoke from 

 the wood fire. [At the same time brush-singed pear is often eaten by 

 stock.— J.H.M.] 



(2) Singeing vnth a Torch. — The first publication before me as to the use of 

 the gasoline torch for singeing pear is a single-page leaflet written by the 

 well-known botanist, J. J. Thornber, and issued by the University of 

 Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station, U.S.A. It is one of the "Timely 

 Hints for Farmers " (No. 52), and is dated 4th May, 1904. It draws 

 attention to the Beever and Hindes (a Texas firm) prickly pear burner 

 constructed on the principle of the plumber's gasoline torch. The note was 

 a preliminary on?, but spoke most hopefully of the possibility of converting- 

 pear into cattle-food at a reasonaljle rate. 



Then we have the following information (with a figure) at page 13 of 

 U.S. Bulletin No. 74:— 



The use of a gasoline torch for removing the spines of the prickly pear — and it is 

 applicable to other species of cacti — originated in Texas. fPl. I, fig. 2, not reproduced.] 

 This is a common practice in vogue upon the range [in the bush. — J.H.M.], and is to be 

 recommended as economical in both the utility of the feed and the labour of preparing 

 it. The process consists in passing a hot-blast flame over the surface of the plant, 

 which can be very quickly done at small expense. The spines themselves are dry and 

 infiammable. In many species one-half or two-thirds of them will burn off by touching 

 a match to them at the lower part of the trunk. The ease with which they are removed 

 depends upon the condition of the atmosphere, the age of the joints, and the number of 

 the spines. A large number of spines is very often an advantage when singeing is to be 

 practised, because the spines burn better when they are abundant. The instrument 

 used for this purpose is a modified plumber's torch. Any other convenient torch which 

 gives a good flame can be emph)yed, the efficiency depending upon the lightness of the 

 machine and the ease with which the innermost parts of the cactus plants can be reached 

 by the flame. 



In Southern Texas two excellent torches .... are commonly used in singeing 

 the prickly pear. In Arizona one or two ranchers consulted have used an ordinary 

 kerosene torch with moderate success in handling the tree cacti of that region. With 

 the use of these machines there is no labour involved in the feeding, except that of 

 removing the spines by the passage of the blast flame over the surface of the joints. 

 The cattle follow the operator closely, and graze all the joints which have been singed. 



Then early in 1910 the Queensland Lands Department imported six of 



the Beever and Hindes (known in the trade as " B. and H.") pear torches. 



The following statement was made in the Australian press at the time : — 



In Mexico 8,000 of these singers are used daily, and this method has been the means 

 oi saving the cattle from starvation and thirst during long protracted droughts. It is 



