14 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OP QUEENSLAND. 



The inferior utility for purposes of fattening that is shown 

 for 0. inermis might reasonably be attributed to a lower 

 palatability to cattle thai> is possessed by the species employed 

 in the Texan trials. The medium order of palatability demon- 

 strated for it would indicate that the utility of the pest pear 

 for beef cattle is as a maintenance feed rather than as- a roughage 

 in rations designed for economic productive purposes. 



Agistment Problems. 



There has been much variance of opinion among cattle- 

 men as to the value of standing prickly pear in agistment, and 

 considerable uncertainty has existed as to the factors con- 

 tributing to the carrying capacity of prickly pear lands. It 

 has been commonly held that prickly pear has been instrumental 

 in drought in saving cattle not removed to more favoured 

 regions for pasture, and that at all seasons dense prickly pear 

 areas are capable of carrjdng and turning out a certain number 

 of beasts in fat condition. It has also been claimed that cattle 

 can exist for long periods or indefinitely with no other water 

 supply than is provided by succulent prickly pear, and that 

 access to water may be attended by harmful or even fatal 

 results. 



It is thought possible to obtain a solution of certain vexed 

 questions in prickly pear agistment by application of the 

 results of the feeding trials. It has been shown that the 

 various forms of prickly pear differ but slightly in nutritive 

 value and utiUty to the beast, save that the comparatively 

 prickle-free form (cow pear) alone aUows of free browsing. 

 Prickly pear alone, chiefly due to poverty in protein, has been 

 shown to be insufficient for the maintenance of cattle, which 

 depends on provision of protein-supplying feeds as supplements 

 to the prickly pear. 



In many areas the deficiency of protein of prickly pear 

 is made good by naturally occurring edible shrub. In the 

 typical prickly pear scrubs of the Maranoa there were observed 

 as many as thirty varieties of shrub or small tree recognised 

 by consensus of reUable opinion as edible to cattle, though of 

 varpng palatability and protein content. The main factors 

 in the carrying capacity of j)rickly pear areas are abundance 

 of edible prickly pear (" cow pear") and sufficiency of j^rotein- 

 supplying edible shrub — conditions that no doubt characterise 

 the best prickly pear scrubs. A combination of prickly pear 



