LEGUMES AND OTHER FORAGE PLANTS 317 



plants which are of special significance in certain tropical 

 regions. 



The prickly pear is familiar to all persons who have trav- 

 eled in the southwestern part of the United States. The ordi- 

 nary prickly form of this plant is not considered satisfactory 

 as a cattle food until the spines have been burned off. Vari- 

 ous methods have been devised in Arizona and elsewhere for 

 economically burning off the spines. Several species of Opun- 

 tia, or prickly pear, occur in large areas in tropical cbuntries. 

 In parts of Australia the plant has become a veritable scourge 

 and large rewards have been offered for a satisfactory means 

 of eradicating it. 



In Hawaii the prickly pear bears two forms of fruit 

 red and white. These fruit are of a rather agreeable flavor 

 and are somewhat used as human food. It requires extreme 

 care in preparing them for use, however, on account of the 

 danger of getting the minute spines mixed with the fruit. The 

 prickly pear is one of the important forage crops on some of 

 the cattle ranches in Hawaii. There are about 3,000 acres 

 of this plant on the Island of Maui, and 10,000 acres or more 

 on the leeward side of Hawaii. Cattle and horses eat this 

 cactus chiefly during the dry season when other feed is want- 

 ing. It is considered an emergency feed, but during the past 

 15 years two or three droughts have occurred in which cattle 

 were maintained for several months almost exclusively on the 

 prickly pear. All tender parts of the plants within reach of 

 the cattle were eaten by them and it became necessary for 

 the cowboys to cut off higher branches in order to save the cat- 

 tle. The prickly pear in Hawaii is extremely spiny, but 

 cattle and horses have learned to eat the plants apparently 

 without harm. 



Recently attention has been given to a smaller and almost 

 spineless prickly pear which was introduced into Hawaii by 

 Marin. This species attains a height of 6 to 8 feet and is 

 densely branched. The slabs commonly have a length of 8 to 



