466 



fruit of their thorns and prickly hairs, and the cattle assemble and 

 eat the juicy leaves and succulent fruit with greater zest than they 

 ate the grass. In reply to a question asked about the possibility of 

 destroying and exterminating the plant in Queensland, Mr. Heath 

 said : " You don't know the valuable -fodder plant you have here. 

 I can tell you this : Take away the prickly pear from Mexico, and 

 rancher, rancheros, vaqueros, and all who have to deal \vith cattle 

 may leave the country, for there will be no further employment for 

 them. Cattle will be a thing of the past." 



FIG. 25. Prairie clover (Fetakstemoncandidus\ 



Ornithopus sativus (Serradella. Fig. 24). An annual legume, 

 native of southern Europe and northern Africa, which is valuable as 

 a fodder plant on moist and sandy sterile soils. At the Pennsylvania 

 station the yield from two cuttings was ii tons of green forage. 

 It does not require lime, and is often used as a green manure to 

 bring up the value of sterile fields. The forage, which is much 

 relished by cattle and sheep, has about the same feeding value as 

 red clover. 



