Luther Burbank Among His Thor nless Cactus Plants at Santa Rosa 



The Results of Luther Burbank's Work 

 on the Thorny Cactus 



Mr. Burbank early perceived the tre- 

 mendous possibilities of a cactus without 

 thorns developed to a commercial state 

 and set about the task of producing 

 such a spineless or thornless cactus. He 

 has more than accomplished the aims he 

 had in mind when seventeen or eighteen 

 years ago he first conceived the idea of 

 developing the wild, thorny cactus into 

 a satisfactory and easily handled forage. 

 The Burbank Spineless Cactus, consider- 

 ed in all its possibilities, is superior to 

 any forage grown on the face of the earth. 



The economic effect of Mr. Burbank's 

 achievement in taking the wild, thorny 

 cactus and turning it into a remarkable 

 forage plant cannot be overestimated. In 



summing up briefly what Mr. Burbank 

 has accomplished may be stated : 



First. The feeding of the wild, thorny 

 cactus in itself is beyond the experimental 

 stage, having been extensively utilized for 

 hundreds of years in the various parts of 

 the world as a forage, for all classes of 

 livestock. But one thing prevented its 

 utilization on a wider scale, namely, the 

 thorns which were very dangerous and 

 which inflicted injury to any animal that 

 fed thereon. 



Second. Mr. Burbank has removed 

 this obstacle. He has produced from the 

 wild, thorny cactus a cactus which is de- 

 void of thorns. 



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