110 



as a vegetable marrow. The juice, when extracted by pressure, is 

 fermented and made into an intoxicating drink by the Mexicans. 



The more common species is Opuntia vulgaris, which is widely dispersed 

 through the south of Europe. Africa, and Asia, and has become well 

 established in Australia where it is grown in many places as a hedge 

 plant. The fruit of this species is extensively used in Italy, where it 

 covers large tracts of the barren lava slopes of volcanic mountains, and it 

 is commonly sold in the markets. The other prominent species whose 

 edible fruits are used are Opuntia FicH-sindica and Opuntia Tuna, both 

 from South America. In this part of the world Indian Figs, or Prickly 

 Pears, are generally looked upon as noxious plants as they are apt to 

 spread with great rapidity, are difficult to keep within bounds, and are 

 not easily destroyed. In fact, these plants have become a pest in many 

 localities, and special legislation has been adopted to -deal with them. 

 But notwithstanding the drawbacks to their cultivation, these plants will 

 prove useful to settlers in the hot, dry, interior districts, where there is a 

 liability to long and severe droughts. These plants will nourish under 

 such conditions, and will yield a plentiful supply of palatable fruit, also, 

 when cooked, a nourishing vegetable when no others can be obtained. 

 It is scarcely necessary to give directions as regards cultivation and 

 propagation, as all the species will thrive in any soil, even the most 

 barren, and every piece of stem thrown down will root and make a plant. 



OTHER EDIBLE CACTUS FRUITS. 



Several species of the genus 

 Cereus yield palatable fruits 

 which are known as Strawberry 

 Pears. The fruits vary in size 

 from a large Gooseberry to an 

 Orange, according to the species. 

 They have a better flavour than 

 the Indian Figs, and are very 

 palatable and nutritious. Some 

 of the species have a robust 

 upright growth of several feet, 

 while others have procumbent 

 or trailing stems. The principal 

 fruit-bearing kinds are Cereus 

 Englemanni, a dwarf species 

 with scarlet flowers, from Utah; 

 Cereus Quixo, a tall hardy 

 species, from Chili ; and Cereus 

 Thurberi, a strong tall species, 

 from Mexico and Arizona. 



Strawberry Pear 



INDIAN HILL-GOOSEBERRY. 



This is the Anglo-Indian name for the fruit of Myrtus tomentosa 



