PRICKLY PEAR AS STOCK FEED. — SMITH. 



25 



provided with salt and sulphate of iron licks. The average 

 amounts of prickly j)ear eaten per head daily, the nutrients 

 of the rations, and the daily gains recorded in the experiments 

 are given in Table 17 : — 



Table 17. — Prickly Pear Consfmed, Nutritive Value of Rations, and Body 



Weights. 



The amount of digestible protein in the average prickly 

 pear ration in Experiment 1 was -01 lb. ; the amounts in 

 Experiments 2 to 5 ranged from •OS to •09 lb. ; in Experiments 

 6 to 10, -09 lb. The gains shown are the averages in the groups ; 

 at the same time it was apparent that some sheep did better 

 than others. The differences would be accounted for by 

 differences in appetite for prickly pear. Two sheep in Experi- 

 ment 2 and one in Experiment 3 ate so Uttle prickly pear that 

 it was necessary to remove them to other feed. 



The proportion of the total nutrients furnished by prickly 

 pear in Experiments 2 to 5 was about 50 per cent. ; in Experi- 

 ments 6 to 10, 40 to 50 per cent. 



The average rations in Experiments 2 to 5 were sufficient 

 to enable the sheep to maintain their condition. In Experi- 

 ments 6 to 10 the sheep did less well owing to the lower appetite 

 displayed for prickly pear. 



The Appetite of Sheep for Prickly Pear. 



Prickly pear is indifferently palatable to sheep. It was 

 found that as the amounts of supplementary feeds were 

 increased the amount of prickly pear consumed was pro- 



