1144 



OPUNTIA 



horticulturist, though tlicy are much more widely useil 

 and of far more economic importance tlian many plants 

 which have an established iilacr in ininiological litera- 

 ture. Prom the fact that i>|.uTiii:i- ll.mrish best in 

 regions where experimental liortimlnin' receives little 

 or no attention, the development of desirable economic 

 varieties has not been what might be expected of plants 

 which respond so readily to cultivation and selection, 

 and which may be hybridized with so little difBculty 



Botanically 



varying from 



1543 Opunt a ra nos. ssima 



To illustrate tdMirttioii. which is ot hequent oecurience 



in nearly all species of Cacti. 



logically, it is a modified stem with the true seed capsule 

 sunken into its apex; hence it bears leaves and spines, 

 and usually under suitable conditions and frequently in 

 the natural state, when it becomes detached, will bud 

 and grow like a normal stem-cutting. 



the aborigines of 

 id were early 

 and Spanish 

 ter becoming 

 dcira islands. 



irts(or)/. — Opuntias 

 America at the time of 

 taken by the Spanish ex 

 colonies in other parts o 

 established in the Canarie 

 it was not long before their cullur.- . \t, ml. .1 tn Portu- 

 gal, Spain and the whole littoral n -im <•( tin Mnliter- 

 ranean. From there they spread i.i l',^\|.i. Iinlia. and 

 other parts of southern Asia. In .Minpai in u .ly later 

 times they reached South Africa, Auslralia. ami New 

 South Wales, where they are fast becoming a serious 

 menace to agriculture and grazing. In all the regions 

 above noted they have escaped from cultivation and 

 have becirnie ])estiferniis weeds. 



yariiii' '.' (.',',',../;,-.,,. The want of fixed charac- 

 ters, tie I I. I I, i I species under different 



soil ami ■ i; i iml the readiness with 



which naiiiiMl h ir,;,i- ,. , m, make the identification of 



cultivateil and intn>.h I species so difftcult that the 



considerable literature on this subject is extremely tin- 

 certain as to nomenclature. The common names Indian 

 Fig, Barberry Pig, Prickly Pear, and Tuna, are applied 

 indiscriminately by most people to any flat-jointed Opun- 

 tias, but more particularly to the kinds with edible 

 fruits. 



The two most widely distributed and extensively cul- 

 tivated are O. Ficus-T^dica and O. Tuna. These plants 

 have often been confused by authors. Much that has 

 been written under the name of one species really applies 

 to the other. They are closely linked together by hybrids, 

 and each has been in cultivation for so long a period 

 that niunenms cultural varieties have developed, par- 

 li.-ulaily in :\Iexico and Sicily. It is possible that the 

 forms of both species originated from 



OrUNTlA 



more than a score of indigenous species, the 

 above, with their many cultivated forms, an 

 most desirable and palatable. O. Ficuslndit 

 able in most respects to O. Tuna on account 

 and smaller spines and usually larger fruit, 

 however, makes a more formidable hedge, a 

 frequently planted in the United States, 

 this plant are to be seen at many of the c 

 missions in Arizona and California, wherr 

 probably first introduced info thi- I'nited 

 Ficus-Itidica is frequently isv"^ 'I i' 'i- ^|. 

 lation of New Mexico, Arizoii.i • <■ 



ern Florida it has escaped fr-' , 



irali: 



fruil 



ight 



colored fruit, while another. Tuna maune, has a yellow- 

 ish fruit, irregularly mottled with crimson. 



The Fruit Ecnnnmiralhi Considered. -These two 

 Opniitins. aiul po^^ibly a few other closely allied ones, 

 are .-xteiishelv -ie« i, in Mexico. The fruit begins to 

 ripen III .line ;iih1 .lnl\.wliile the later varieties last 

 until lieeeiiiii. 1, lie unit is consumed by all classes 

 and enmhtieii^ lif pee].!, . The fine bristles which invest 

 the fruit are usually removed before picking by ruliliing 

 them with straw, grass or leaves. The fruit is later 

 picked by the hand, or, in .some instances, with wooden 

 tongs. In large plantations, when the fruit is raised for 

 coinnienial ]Mirpe-es, it i^ usually harvested with a 

 Iiea\\ kiiile. rhe WMikiiian tir--i cutting off the joint 

 liearine the I mil. ami later del aeliiiii; the separate fruits. 



til. 



paring, ]oin- 

 e.asilv sepa- 

 i .piickly re- 



the 



Although the Mexicans and Indians eat the fruit of 



■cities. It 1 ■ ;. :. I ilie Arabs throughout 



nnrtlieni .\ I ' > e i [lertant part of their 



food tor a li.el 1 . :Mi, -, e , r 



Nutrilire i uhir m fin- f ,»,/. - Ihe nutritive value of 

 this fruit ranks high, as sliown by the following analy- 

 sis by Wolff: 



Per eent 



Dn- substance 21 .CO 



Ligneous matter 3.70 



Proteid sub.st.inces .'ift 



Fatty bodies 1.80 



Sugar 14. 



Yield per ^c«. — It has been ascertained that some 

 of the best varieties are capable ot producing on lean, 

 sandy or rocky soil, ill-suited for growing ordinary 

 crops, as much as 18,000 lbs. of fruit per acre. When 

 we eensiiler that tliis is equal to 2, .500 lbs. of sugar, as 

 well a« etliei- valuaVjIe food constituents, it may be 

 readily se. n that the food value from the standpoint of 



M.lliiul „f ('/(//»(■(•. — Plantations are usually made on 

 dry slepe.s el' hills, as the plants do not thrive where 

 there is iniirli iiieisture or on heavy clay soils. Joints, 

 cut er broken Ironi the plants, are used instead of seeds, 

 and are planted at distances of i; to « ft. in furrows from 

 6 to 15 ft. apart. .\o liii , , i^ i.i leii.'ed, as they grow 

 rapidly, and in a t. i le and smother out 



all other growth. 1' ; : il'. the cuttings are 



exposed in half siinlulii irom ev. n to fifteen days, 

 that they may partially wither, in order to facilitate 

 rooting. 



An important advantage in the culture of these plants 

 is the regularity of the yearly crop. They begin to bear 

 in .iiieiii line, .e,ir~ il'ier planting, and continue in 



!• ' '; 'I . , leiiis to the United States, none 



as w i n,,., I .:,■■■.: ■ fniit, or with an effort to 



inipio\. Ill, no u. /;,.,/. /j/((ni)i(j has a large but poorly- 



