ATGIJST 15, 1915 



091 



THK CACTUS 6L.AB j\i EN TION KD l)N i'AUli 04(> OF TJIK LAST ISSUE OF GLEANINGS. 



TIlis slal) was planted in our Medina garden about July 1. The picture on the left hand was taken 

 July 26, and the picture on the ric:ht was taken ^iust nine days after. With the first picture you will uocice 

 some corn in the backg-round. The next time, in order to slio^\ the new slabs (or leaves) to better advan- 

 tage, I held a while theet back of Ihe plart. This astonishing- srowth was made in common clay soil; and 

 I th'nk it denion.sirates beyond (juestion the wonderful growth this plant )nay make under favorable condi- 

 tions. We expect to give another picture in our next issue. 



xjiiu' oilier 

 water.'' 



Milk 87.5 



Grapes 87 



Spinach 90 



Lettuce 9-1 



Tomatoes 96 



Strawberry 90 



Peaches 69 



thiuffs that are " almost all 



Oranges 87 



Apples 83 



Pineapple 89 



Asparagus 94 



Squash 95 



Pumpkin 9 1 



Cornstalks SO 



And while we are discussing this, let me 

 nieiition that, years ago, Avhen we marketed 

 Jei-sey Wakefield cabbage every day, on 

 purpose to use up trimmings from the cab- 

 bage I got some little pigs. Now, these pigs 

 did not have a thing— not even a bucket of 

 water — in addition to the cabbage leaves. 

 We almost covered the little fellows up with 

 cabbage, and the pigs made a tremendous 

 growth. An account of it is given in our 

 book " What to Do," etc. You see the cab- 

 bage was provided fresh every day in the 

 week; and when we grow cactus for cattle, 

 horses, pigs, or chickens it also can be fur- 

 nished fresh every day in the year. 



CACTI'S FRUIT; t/UANTITY AND QUALITV, ETC. 



I have seen just one real good tuna (cactus fruit). 

 I found it in the road near Scbastopol, Cal., where 

 ^■)me one had dropped it, evidently by careless han- 

 dlin:^, and it was near the Burbank ranch. My own 

 cactus plants, from slabs which were put out in 

 the sprine of 1911, gave me 48 tunas that were the 

 size of medium oranges. I saw larger ones in Bur- 



bank's gardens at Santa Rosa. The quality wa^ 

 good: but the taste was dilTerent, somewhat, from 

 anythino; we were used to eating, so we did not 

 become enthusiastic over them, while at the same 

 time we liked them fairly well. Here we have so 

 much good fruit that we are thoroughly accustomed 

 to eating that we are poor judges of a fruit of en- 

 tirebj different character. The one tuna I spoke 

 of was very ripe, a little wilted, and tasted as good 

 as a prime fig or nice berry jam; in fact, sweet and 

 delicio'u-<! ; however, I look upon the tuna as a bet- 

 ter feed for fattening hogs than foi- human consump- 

 tion. The cactus plants, / am told, become full 

 bearing when about five years old. 



At Mr. McCubbin's, over at Reedley, the three 

 acres of cactus of three years' growth have not pro- 

 duced any large crop, but they have borne an in- 

 creasing crop each year. He has about 20 plants 

 tive or six years old that he has pruned severely 

 each year for cuttings that give a good quantity 

 of fruit m spite of the severe pruning, .^ince only 

 last year's slabs will produce fruit this year, etc. 

 All varieties (120 of them) bear fruit, but only a 

 few are good for human consumption. You can 

 cct the whole history of the opunta from the U. S. 

 bulletin, Department of Agriculture, Washington. 



Selma, Cal., July 8. O. S. Davis. 



Here is something further from friend 

 Woodberry relating to the matter: 



Mr. Poet: — Regarding the fruit of the cactus, I 

 fuar it would be impossible for me to acquire a lik- 

 ing for it; but the Mexicans esteem it quite liighly. 

 I have not noticed it on the fruit-stands, yet it 

 may be on .sale in some sections of Los Angeles. I 

 vill send you some ripe fruit later on, and you can 

 jadso for yourself. 



Glendale, Cal., July Jl. G. B. Woodbebrv. 



