100 CACTE, 
ing all expenses, the farmer sold the cochineal for 1] pence a 
pound. Dr. Buchanan calls the plants Nopals, their Mexican 
name, but states that it is the cactus “aboriginal of the 
country” ; he also reports that the insect is of the bad ki 
recently Tiierodiis — 
Roxburgh, speaking of Cactus indicus (O. Dillenii), says? 
‘Upon this plant the Cochineal insects lately brought fro 
America thrive and multiply abundantly.” In 1833-45, t 
culture of cochineal was again attempted by M. Sundt an 
others upon O. Tuna with the true Cochineal insect, and this 
culture appears to have been carried on to a certain extent, 
in 1857 silver grain Cochineal from Chittledroog and Ooso 
‘grown upon this plant was shown at the Madras Exhibition. 
In 1848, Dr. Dempster successfully dyed woollen cloths wi 
dye extracted from the insect foand on the common pas 
Dr. Dempster laid particular stress on the advantage of 
vating the native insect in preference to importing fo 
varieties, and his views were corroborated by Dr. McClelland 
the Calcutta Botanic Gardens, who wrote on the subject 
1848. Inthe same year, Dr. Fleming found numerous ville 
near Amritsar engaged in gathering Cochineal insects fromt 
hedges of cactus or prickly pear. The Cochineal was aie 
sold to the Amritsar dyers at one rupee a seer. It 2 
however, that the growth of wild Cochincal is very irreg 
the insects completely destroy the cactus plants wherever th 
appear, and some time must elapse before the plants can ¢ r 
again. The quantity of native Cochineal produced in Ind 
not known. Dr. Bidie, reporting on the culture of Cochinesl 
India in 1882, remarks :—“ The efforts made about the be 
ning of the present century to establish the industry f 
owing to the introduction of an inferior variety of the Co 
insect. One of the species of cactus on which the insect | 
in Brazil having been introduced with it in 1795 by 
Neilson, H. M. 7th Regiment, it has been ig 
