CACTUS 



1039 



CADET 



they expose as little surface as possible to the 

 sun, and the leaves are greatly reduced. Their 

 fleshy stems also contain a' large amount of 

 tissue which is adapted to retaining water. 

 Except for a few African species, the cactus is 

 an American plant, extending southward 

 through Mexico and Central America to South- 

 ern South America, and growing abundantly 



a 



VARIETIES OF CACTUS 

 (a) Globe Cactus (c) Mexican Opuntla 



<b) Hairy Opuntia (d) Giant Cactus 



in the United States not far from the Mexican 

 border. About 1,000 forms have been identi- 

 fied. The cactus is the national flower of 

 Mexico and the state flower of Arizona and 

 of New Mexico. 



The species vary greatly in form and size. 

 The largest specimens, great numbers of which 

 are found in the drainage basin of the Gulf 

 ot California, belong to the Cereus group, and 

 are giant plants from fifty to sixty feet in 



height, with thick, column-like branching 

 stems. Globe-shaped or short cylindrical forms 

 are common among the smaller varieties; 

 sometimes the stems are ribbed, and fre- 

 quently they bear prominent knob-like growths 

 covered with spines. The flowers are usually 

 large and showy, and the fruit, which stores a 

 great deal of nourishment, is in many cases 

 edible. 



The most useful species, belonging to the 

 group known as Opuntia, is the prickly pear, 

 which has been naturalized in the countries 

 bordering on the Mediterranean Sea under the 

 name of Indian fig. In these countries it is a 

 popular food product. Another species of 

 Opuntia is cultivated in Mexico to feed the 

 cochineal insect, from whose body a valuable 

 coloring matter is made (see COCHINEAL). 

 Other important species are the night-blooming 

 cereus and the "old-man" cactus; the latter 

 bears an abundance of white hairs instead of 

 the typical spines, and is well known in green- 

 houses. 



The Spineless Cactus. As a result of several 

 years of experimentation with the prickly pear, 

 Luther Burbank has produced a spineless cactus 

 which is a valuable food plant for both man 

 and animals (see BURBANK, LUTHER). In the 

 process of development the spines were wholly 

 removed from the outside of the plant, and 

 most of the woody fiber from the interior. His 

 spineless cactus grows from eight to sixteen 

 feet high. Its fruit has somewhat the shape 

 of a short, thick cucumber, with flat ends, and 

 it is about two to three inches in diameter. 

 The colors of the fruit are crimson, orange, yel- 

 low, purple and white, and its flavors are as 

 numerous as those of the apple. Though pro- 

 duced at one-half the expense of oranges, it 

 sells for about the same price. It may be 

 eaten raw, or made into jams, jellies and 

 syrups. The slabs or stems of the spineless 

 cactus are an excellent stock food, and are 

 estimated to possess about one-half the nutri- 

 tive value of alfalfa. "The joints of the plants 

 make excellent pickles. 



Six months after planting, some varieties of 

 the cactus in fairly good soil will produce sev- 

 enty-five tons of forage to the acre; after the 

 second or third year they will sometimes pro- 

 duce as much as 150 tons to the acre. A cactus 

 leaf ten inches across will sometimes produce 

 thirty to forty full-sized cactus pears. L.B. 



CADET, kay del' , a term applied in the 

 United States, Canada and England to pupils 

 studying at naval and military colleges. The 



