574: FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



from December to March, as during the cool season the 

 remaining portion of the stem is likely to rot instead of 

 healing over. 



Under moderately favorable conditions yields of 20 to 

 25 tons of green matter to the acre may be obtained. 



Prickly pears are readily eaten by cattle, hogs, sheep 

 and goats. The spineless ones may be fed directly, 

 but the spiny sorts require preliminary treatment. The 

 spines may be removed by singeing either with a brush 

 fire or by means of a gasoline torch, or the plants may be 

 chopped into pieces and piled into heaps when the spines 

 become softened so that they do not trouble animals, or 

 the whole plant may be steamed in vats. The feeding 

 value is low, as from 80 to 90 per cent or more of the plant 

 consists of water. Nevertheless, very satisfactory results 

 have been obtained in using prickly pears as roughage 

 feed for dairy and beef cattle as well as for hogs, sheep and 

 goats. 



Under Texas conditions some of the spiny sorts have 

 given more satisfactory results than the spineless ones. 

 The latter are more subject to damage by rabbits. 



689. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus). The sunflower 

 is native to the western United States, where the wild form 

 often occupies extensive areas. It is an annual with a 

 stout, erect, usually simple stem which becomes woody ; 

 alternate ovate petioled leaves ; and one or more large 

 half -nodding heads with a black disk and numerous golden- 

 yellow rays. Under cultivation numerous varieties have 

 been developed, some with all the flowers ligulate. The 

 agriculturally valuable sorts are those which produce a 

 single large head, which may be 8 to 12 inches in diameter. 



Sunflowers are grown extensively in Russia for the 

 seeds, which are used both for poultry feed and for oil pro- 



