Aug. i6, 191S Prickly-Pears as a Feed for Dairy Cows 433 



ration of 3.5 to 6 pounds of sorghum hay, 60 to 100 pounds of prickly- 

 pear, and I pound of cottonseed meal a day; or, with prickly-pear as 

 the sole roughage, about no pounds of that plant and 2 pounds of cotton- 

 seed meal. Prickly-pear alone did not make a satisfactory maintenance 

 ration, but sustained life for a long time. One cow that was fed prickly- 

 pear alone for a period of 70 days lost 30.2 pounds live weight. 



The average coefficients of digestion in two trials with prickly-pear as 

 the sole ration were as follows: Dry matter, 61.58; ash, 38.37; crude 

 protein, 71.56; crude fiber, 42.98; nitrogen-free extract, 71.55; ether 

 extract, 65.88; organic matter, 67.21. 



Palatability was apparently an important factor in feeding prickly- 

 pears as the sole roughage. One cow that ate prickly-pear with relish 

 did as well on the ration when that plant was the sole roughage as when 

 some dry roughage was included. Another that ate prickly-pear 

 reluctantly lost in weight. In one case feeding prickly-pear alone 

 caused the formation of an obstruction in the intestine and the death of 

 the animal. 



The feeding of prickly-pear produced a highly colored butter, but had 

 no appreciable effect upon the flavor or keeping quality of the milk. 



Prickly-pear had a decidedly laxative effect on the cows, although there 

 seemed to be no permanent ill effects even after long-continued feeding. 

 The addition of common salt (sodium chlorid) to a ration of prickly-pear 

 even when added in large amounts, 4 to 6 ounces a day to each cow, had 

 no appreciable effect upon the laxative property of the plant. 



During an experimental period of 10 days cows receiving a heavy ration 

 of prickly-pear drank no water, those receiving a medium ration drank 

 an average of 44.3 pounds of water per day, while those on a roughage 

 ration of sorghum hay drank a daily average of 95 pounds. 



As measured by milk production cows fed prickly-pear were more 

 sensitive to northers than those which received a dry roughage. The 

 greater the quantity of the plant consumed the more sensitive the animal 

 became. 



The prickly-pear ration appeared to have no great influence upon the 

 size and vigor of the offspring or upon the condition of the cow after par- 

 turition. 



The cost of harvesting prickly-pear depends largely upon local condi- 

 tions. During these experiments it was found that the spines could be 

 singed at a cost of about 50 cents per ton. 



There was no great difference between the spineless and the spiny 

 varieties of prickly-pear in composition, palatability, or feeding value. 

 While the cost of harvesting the spineless was less than that of the spiny 

 varieties, the latter yielded a greater tonnage to the acre at Brownsville, 

 Tex., and were not so subject to injury from insects. The spiny varieties 

 are hardier and can be grown in a much greater area than the spineless. 



