58 WESTERN GRAZING GROUNDS AND FOREST RANGES 



with considerable effect the cattle thrive on it. It is as- 

 tonishing how quickly range cattle catch onto what is 

 being done, following the men with the torches and burn- 

 ing materials and waiting for it to be thrown to them. 

 In southwestern Texas dairymen feed it regularly to 

 their milk cows with good results. 



Spineless varieties of the opuntia can be grown as any 

 forage plant and furnishes a remarkable amount of feed 

 On irrigated land 25 tons per acre have been grown and 

 harvested. Although advertised as a potent factor in 

 securing some new range forage plant, the spineless cac- 

 tus is not at all adapted to use on the open range. Its 

 spineless character makes it an easy prey to rabbits and 

 other rodents as well as grazing stock, hence if planted 

 it must be carefully protected and looked after. Also 

 any temperature below 20 degrees, if continued for sev- 

 eral nights will kill it. 



Feeding Mistletoe. In the Southwest the mistletoe 

 which is found so extensively clinging to trees on the 

 ranges, especially the oaks and mesquites, has been util- 

 ized by the stockmen as a hard-times feed when other 

 forage was scarce. The stockman armed with a long 

 slender pole, to the end of which is attached an iron hook, 

 reaches up into the trees, and by the aid of the hook the 

 mistletoe branches are easily broken off, as they are very 

 brittle. The cattle feed on it eagerly, following the men 

 from tree to tree and watching for the branches to drop. 

 An analysis of the plant shows that it possesses feeding 

 value comparing favorably with timothy hay. Many cat- 

 tlemen believe that if fed to cows about to calve or just 

 having calved, it will cause them to "clean" more readily 

 than otherwise. 



In southern Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas 



