ROOTS, TUBERS, AND OTHER SUCCULENT FEEDS 147 



The spineless cacti have been considerably exploited in the south- 

 western States and California during recent years as a feed for 

 farm animals, and extravagant claims are often made as regards 

 the yields obtained and the nutritive value of the plants. The 

 yields have been calculated on the basis of the weight of slabs from 

 a single young plant, or perhaps a small field during a single sea- 

 son, and enormous figures, as high as 1000 tons per acre, have been 

 claimed as a result. As against these figures we have accurate 

 information as to the yields secured at the Arizona station and at 

 Chico, Cal., where the United States Department of Agriculture 

 has conducted experiments with this plant for a number of years 

 past. The results obtained at the latter place show an average 

 annual yield between 20 and 25 tons to the acre. This is with 

 expert cultivation and maintenance of a perfect stand. " The 

 plantation has been carefully cultivated, all weeds have been kept 

 down during the growing season, and a good tilth has been main- 

 tained during the summer. Once or twice a year the whole planta- 

 tion has been gone over, and missing plants replaced." 



Cactus is well liked by most farm animals, and is especially 

 adapted for feeding cattle and swine. Instances are on record of 

 dairy cows eating 100 to 150 pounds of cacti a day per head, for 

 months at a time, receiving no dry feed in addition, but on account 

 of the laxative effect of the plant, and on general principles, the 

 better practice is to feed either dry roughage or grain feed, or 

 both, in connection with it, whether the animals fed be fattening 

 steers, milch cows, or swine. According to Griffiths, 6 pounds of 

 green prickly pears, when singed, have a feeding value similar to 

 a pound of dry sorghum hay when fed to dairy cattle. 25 A carload 

 of range steers fed 96 pounds of singed prickly pears and 4.3 

 pounds of cotton-seed meal per head daily for a period of 104 days 

 gained 1.75 pounds daily per head on this feed; it required, there- 

 fore, 55 pounds of pears and 2.5 pounds of cotton-seed meal per 

 pound of gain, at a cost of about 3y 2 cents per day for feed. 



References. The following Department of Agriculture or experiment 

 station publications have been issued during late years on the subject of 

 prickly pears and spineless cacti: " Singed Cacti as a Forage," Arizona 

 Bulletin 51 (Timely Hints No. 52), May, 1904. "The Prickly Pear and 

 Other Cacti as Feeds for Stock," Griffiths, U. S. Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 Bulletin 74, 1905. " Feeding Prickly Pears to Stock in Texas," Griffiths, 

 U. S. Bureau of Animal Industry, Bulletin 91, 1906. " Prickly Pear and 

 Other Cacti as Food for Stock," Griffiths and Hare, New Mexico station, 

 Bulletin 60, 1906. " The Prickly Pear as a Farm Crop," Griffiths, Bureau of 



23 Bureau Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bulletin 91. 



