(546 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. [Sept. 2, 1920. 



however, upon many points. Tliere is need of expcrinionts for their verifica- 

 tion, for popuhir experiences and opinions are too indefinite and unsatis- 

 factory. 



Stockmen are very generally agreed that pear should be fed very gradually 

 at first, many claiming that a week should elapse before a full ration can 

 be safely fed. The reasons for this, however, will vary with the individual 

 and the locality. Mr. Sinclair has abundant evidence that bloat is very 

 easily caused in cattle that are not accustomed to the feed. Really, cattle look 

 as though tbey were bloated after every feed, for the quantity eaten (125 to 

 200 lb. a day) is bound to cause a large distention of the stomach; but there 

 appears to be no danger after the animals have become accustomed to 

 eating it. 



Stock fed on a full ration of pear scour more or less all of the time, and 

 the injury from this source is, of course, very much aggravated if the cattle 

 receive rough treatment. A half ration, with some drier roughage, such as 

 sorghum hay, or even dry grass or browse, appears to produce less serious 

 effects. This condition could not be otherwise with such sloppy feed. It 

 occurs invariably with beet pulp, and the effects are probably very similar. 



The .condition of stock which have received pear during the winter appears 

 to be very much better than that of those wintered on good dry-grass 

 pastures. Feeders without exception make this observation. 



Ranchers in Texas often lose a small number of cattle from the effect of 

 the accumulation of fibre of the pear in the stomach. This condition is said 

 never to occur with chopped pear, but to be common in .cases where a pear 

 burner or machete is xised, and still more common in cattle which are forced 

 to eat a large amount of pear in short pastures during dry seasons. The 

 balls are said to be made up entirely of the fibre and spines of the pear. 



No manner of feeding cactus yet devised, without greater care than the 

 feeder is usually willing to bestow upon the work, does away entirely with 

 the evil effect of the spines. Singeing with a torch or brush is the most 

 effectual in this regard, if sufficient care is taken by the operator. lu 

 practice, however, very little attention is paid to the small spines, the effort 

 being to burn off the distal three-fourths of the large ones, leaving most of 

 the small ones for the stock to contend with. Indeed, there is a prejudice — 

 whether well founded or not it has been impossible to determine — against 

 pear scorched to the extent necessary to ensure the removal of all the small 

 spines. It is claimed that cattle scour much wonse upon pear which has been 

 excessively scorched by either torch or brush flame. 



The question of singeing the spines has been dealt with in Chat No. sf 



of this series. Reference is also made in the extensive section labelled 



"As a Stock Food," at p. 10 of Bulletin 78 (1911), New Mexico (E. O. 



Wooton). Discussing the local conditions at p. 12, the writer says: — 



On the stock ranges of New Mexico to-day are large quantities of prickly 

 pear which have a valuG as forage, and this crop is especially valuable in the" 

 times of drought which visit all parts of the State at more or less irregular 

 intervals. This forage, while it is not as good as grama grass, is much better 

 than nothing, and in dry years the feed is reduced to cactus or nothing. In 

 the past it has been the custom of stockmen to taking the " nothing" and let 

 the cactus remain where it is. There have been two or three apparently 

 sufficient reasons for this, as follows: — First, the cattle are not accustomed to 

 eat the cacti, and would have to be taught to use it; second, when they are 

 forced to take to a cactus diet they are weak, and the scouring due to the 

 large quantities of inorganic salts taken with this kind of food is said to still 

 further weaken them, thus increasing the loss; third, there is some work and 

 expense connected with the preparatitm of the cacti for use by the stock. 

 Since this seems like putting more money into a proposition which is bound 

 to lose anyhow, most of the stockmen sell oft' what they can get to walk off 

 the range, and trust to luck that some of the others will pull through, and 

 pocket their losses. 



It seems to the author that a better plan would be to accustom one's stock 

 to eating cactus as part of tlie ration all the time, thus obviating the first, 

 and to some extent, the second difficulty. And the work necessary to accustom 

 stock to the practice would also accustom the man to the work and would 



