PRICKLY PEAR AS STOCK FEED. 



A Review of some Experiments in Queensland with 

 Opuntia inermis (the Common Pest Pear). 



By Frank Smith, B.Sc, F.I.C. 



PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 



{Delivered before the Royal Society of Queensland., 30th March, 



1921.) 



FOREWORD. 



In 1916-17 the author investigated the value as stock feed 

 of the common pest pear {0. inermis) for 'the Queensland 

 Government at WaUumbilla, Maranoa district. There was 

 subsequently published by the Department of Agriculture 

 a popular bulletin* in which the main conclusions of the 

 investigation were set forth. Experimental data bearing on 

 the value of the common pest pear have, however, not pre\4ously 

 appeared. 



The author is indebted to the Minister for Agriculture 

 (Hon. W. N. GiUies) for permission to make the basis of this 

 paper his technical manuscrij)t dealing A\ith the WaUumbilla 

 experiments in possession of the department. The short 

 description of the feeding trials is derived from, and the tabu- 

 lated data upon which the conclusions here advanced are 

 founded are reproduced by permission from the manuscript 

 referred to. 



INTRODUCTION. ' 



The Prickly Pear Travelhng Commission appointed hy the 

 Queensland Government to rej)ort on means of controlhng 

 the prickly-pear pest drew attention (7)t to the considerable 

 use of opuntias as drought feeds and their systematic employ- 

 ment in productive rations for stock prevailing in various 

 countries. In America and elsewhere the recognised value of 

 opuntias had led to advocation of their cultivation as farm 



* The Feeding of Prickly Pear to Stock {1918). 



t The numerals in brackets refer to literature cited at the end of 

 the paper. 



