PRICKLY PEAR AS STOCK FEED. SMITH. 27 



SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS. 



The prickly pear employed in trials with steers, dairy 

 €ows, and sheep was 0. inermis, a prickly but comparatively 

 spineless species. It was fed after slicing, and no other prepara- 

 tion was necessary. 



Prickly pear is a wholesome cattle feed, but alone will not 

 enable cattle to subsist for more than limited periods. 



Prickly pear is not highly palatable to steers. With mini- 

 mum amounts of meals or legume hay, however, steers will 

 generally eat enough to obtain a total ration somewhat more 

 than sufficient for maintenance. 



The almost medium palatability of prickly pear will make 

 it useful chieflj^ in maintenance rations. On account of the 

 little appetite shown for prickly pear when supplementary 

 feeds are given liberally, economic fattening of steers would 

 not be possible on rations employing prickly pear. 



No form of prickly pear is markedly more nutritious or 

 palatable than others. 



The requirements for the thrift of cattle at prickly pear 

 agistment are edible prickly pear — the form free from prickle — 

 and edible shrub. The best browse afforded by prickly pear 

 and shrub will generally provide only for the turning out of 

 cattle in at most good store condition. 



The succulence of prickly pear will satisfy the water 

 requirements of cattle in cool seasons. In drought during hot 

 weather water supplies will be necessary. 



Prickly pear is not highly palatable to dairy cows. 



Feeding prickly pear reduces the yield of butter-fat and 

 the percentage of butter-fat in the milk. The higher the 

 amount of prickly pear fed in the ration, the greater the reduc- 

 tion. The content of solids-not-fat in the milk is not affected 

 by feeding prickly pear. 



Feeding prickly pear shghtly increases the milk yield. 

 The increase is more marked when prickly pear is fed in 

 medium amounts than when it constitutes the sole rovighage. 



The nutrients of prickly pear have less value in milk 

 production than have the nutrients of hay. 



