430 



Journal of Agricultural Research 



Vol. IV, No. 5 



use OF PRICKI,Y-PEAR FOR MAINTENANCE OF DRY COWS 



At the close of the first year's work a number of maintenance trials 

 with dry cows were conducted, using the several roughage rations fed 

 during the first year's work. In all these trials cottonseed meal was the 

 only grain fed. A summary of the results is given in Table XIX. 



Table XIX. — Results of tests showitig the value of prickly-pear as a maintenance ration 



for dry dairy cows 



No. of cow. 



Lengrth of 

 period 



Initial 

 weight. 



Final 

 weight. 



Average daily amount of feed 

 consumed by each cow. 



Grain. 



Sorghum 

 hay. 



Prickly- 

 pear. 



Days. 



6. 

 4- 

 13 

 I. 

 13 



Pounds. 

 867.4 

 796.8 

 884 

 754 

 891 

 702 



Pounds. 

 867.0 

 795- ' 



671 



Pounds. 



Pounds. 

 3-5 

 4-0 

 6.2 



Pounds. 

 los 

 60 

 60 

 los 

 113 

 126 



In conducting the trials in which both prickly-pear and sorghum hay 

 were fed, the cacti as well as the grain were supplied in fixed quanti- 

 ties, and the sorghum hay was fed in addition in such amounts as to 

 control the body weights. In those trials where prickly-pear was the 

 sole roughage, 120 pounds of prickly-pear a day were fed at the begin- 

 ning; but later it was found necessary to reduce this quantity to control 

 the body weights. The results of these trials show that mature Jersey 

 cows can be maintained on a ration of 3.5 to 6 pounds of sorghum hay 

 and 60 to 105 pounds of prickly-pear, with i pound of cottonseed meal a 

 day. If prickly-pear is used as the sole roughage, it will require about 

 no pounds of that plant with an increase of cottonseed meal to 2 

 a day. 



In order to ascertain the possibility of using prickly-pear without 

 supplementary feed as a maintenance ration a second trial was con- 

 ducted with cow 13. Prickly-pear was fed to this cow in as large 

 quantities as she would consume, the feeding being continued in this 

 manner for 70 days. This cow was in poor condition at the beginning of 

 the 70-day period, and during the period she lost 30.2 pounds. It appears 

 from this trial that prickly-pear alone is not a satisfactory maintenance 

 ration, but that it will keep an animal alive for a considerable time 

 where there is a shortage of or total absence of other feed. 



METHOD AND COST OF HARVESTING PRICKLY-PEAR 



The cost of harvesting prickly-pear can be only approximately deter- 

 mined, as so much depends upon local conditions. Before the spiny 

 varieties of prickly-pear can be fed they must be treated in such manner 

 as either to remove or soften the spines. The most common method of 



