THE CACTUS PEAR 15 



Analysis shows that the fruit contains about 

 14 per cent sugar together with a small amount 

 of protein and fat. The precise apportion- 

 ment of the constituents varies greatly with 

 different varieties. It is possible to increase the 

 sugar content and otherwise to vary the chemical 

 composition of the fruit by breeding and selec- 

 tion, just as can be done with the apple, the 

 peach, the plum, the sugar beet, and most other 

 fruits and vegetables. 



The cactus fruits developed at Santa Rosa are 

 of exceptional size and superior quality, but of 

 course they do not constitute an absolutely new 

 departure, for it is well known that there are 

 many varieties of spiny cactus that bear edible 

 though very spiny fruit. 



Indeed, in certain arid regions, and in partic- 

 ular about the Mediterranean, the fruit of the 

 cactus has long been recognized as a valuable 

 food product. Professor Leotsakos of the Greek 

 University at Athens, who visited my grounds 

 one summer recently, tells me that the cactus 

 fruit is a very important part of the dietary of 

 millions of people around the Mediterranean for 

 about three months of the year. He declared 

 that he himself would prefer a half dozen 

 good cactus fruits fox breakfast to the best 

 beefsteak. 



