VALUE OB^ CACTI AS FOOD FOR STOCK. 17 



during- the winter of 1904-5. In the vicinity of San Antonio many 

 of the plants drooj)cd badly after the coldest weather, which reijis- 

 tered a temperature of 12° F. The majority of the plants straight- 

 ened up again, but in many the distal joints droi)j)ed off as the result 



of freezing. 



THE USE OF PRICKLY PEAR IN MEXICO. 



In Mexico the use of the prickly pear is much more varied than in 

 this country. There the established plantations are guarded fi'om 

 animal depredations either by rude fences or hedges of some of the 

 tall columnar species of Cereus or the more spiny opuntias. The 

 latter are planted thickly in borders around the more nearly spineless 

 forms, which stock eat readily. 



All of the species are fed to stock indiscriminately. "Wliatever is 

 available and can be spared is singed and fed to cattle. So far as 

 observed, the durasnillo (Opuntia leucotiicha) is preferred to all others. 

 This is due to some extent to its small liber content, but more espe- 

 cially to its abundant delicate spines, which are singed off more 

 readily than those of other species which have fewer spines. 



However, the extent of cattle fcedino: upon this kind of food is 

 not so great in Mexico as one would suppose from the abundance of 

 the material and the great extent of time during which the practice 

 has been in vogue. The fact is that the average Mexican peon can not 

 aft'ord to feed to stock what he himself can use so profitably in other 

 ways. The prickly pear is to liim primarily an article of human 

 food, and its place can not be taken by any other plant. 



The young joints as well are eaten by man in ^lexico, and the 

 dried stems and joints are used for fuel. Of course, this fuel is 

 exceedingly poor, but it serves the purpose in that land where this 

 commodity is exceedingly scarce. The feeding of cacti to stock, 

 therefore, is a secondary consideration. The limbs wliich break 

 oft" and such other portions of the orchard material as can be spared 

 without seriously jeopardizing the tuna crop, together with such 

 wild forms as are available, are fed to cattle. On some of the large 

 haciendas, especially those devoted to maguey culture, the feeding 

 of pear to work oxen during the grassless season is a regular practice, 

 but then only wild forms are used. Over a large part of the Repub- 

 lic, therefore, although the prickly pears are much used for forage, 

 their principal use is as an article of human food. 



THE SPECIES OF CACTI AND THEIR ANALYSES. 



In all, 67 species and varieties of cacti are discussed, all of which 

 have been analyzed chemically, some represented by as liigh as five 

 samples. One hundred and eighty-seven fodder analyses and 26 

 complete ash analyses have been made. The following brief table 

 will illustrate the characteristic composition of representative sam- 

 ples, together with an average of all the samples. 



102—1 



