as much. The first season, if cuttings are 

 set out early in the season, say June, each 

 should make, according to variety, five to 

 ten or fifteen new cuttings. The second 

 season twice as many as that, and the 

 third season three times as many. The 

 cuttings may be replanted as soon as they 

 are hard and thoroughly ripened. 



HOW TO FEED TO LIVE STOCK 



Cattle or any kind of horned stock are 

 especially fond of the cactus, but as with 

 all other new feeds, some refuse at first, 

 but soon learn to eat it greedily. It is 

 best fed to them either whole, or better 

 still, the slabs may be rapidly run through 

 a cutter and a little bran or sprinkling of 

 meal will induce those animals to eat 

 it that do not at first understand it. Poul- 

 try are also fond of it and will eat it at 

 once, if it is sprinkled as for stock, and 

 afterwards greedily for green feed. Hogs 

 invariably like it when used to it. It is 

 particularly valuable for growing animals 

 and for milch cows, as it increases the 

 quantity and improves the flavor of milk 

 at once. But cactus, like almost all other 

 food, requires other food with it. It is 

 quite succulent and moist, and some dry 

 alfalfa or other hay is excellent, or a little 

 oil meal, bran or even dry weeds. It has 

 the same effect on cattle or growing ani- 

 mals as green feed of any kind, but does 

 not bloat animals like alfalfa. 



HARVEST 



There is no occasion to harvest the cac- 

 tus beforehand, because it is always in 

 good condition. There is no occasion for 

 storing it, because it is always good from 

 January 1st to December 31st. 



Like all other crops that are worth cul- 

 tivating it should be fenced. No crop 

 worth growing can be grown other- 

 wise. If it is good, animals soon find 

 it out, as they will every other crop 

 that is raised for them. They should never 

 be turned loose in the cactus patch; no 

 one would turn stock into a beet or pump- 

 kin patch, as they would injure the plants. 

 They would also injure cactus plants, for 

 they would greedily eat their tops, stems, 

 roots and branches. 



FRUITING CACTUS 



Fruiting cactus is planted just the same 



A Rooted Cutting with Newly Sprouted Slabs 



as forage cactus, except that it should be 

 planted a little wider apart, as they grow 

 to an enormous size and live to a great 

 age, and it is well to keep them pruned 

 low. They will spread so that if planted 

 three feet apart in the narrow rows and 

 twelve feet apart in the wide rows they 

 can be harvested most conveniently. The 

 fruit is at its best during September, Oc- 

 tober and November, though some va- 

 rieties continue to bear throughout the 

 winter and spring, in fact, throughout the 

 entire year. 



HOW TO PREPARE AND EAT THE 

 FRUIT 



Do not handle with the bare hands. 

 Take each fruit on a fork and with a sharp 

 knife cut off both ends, and, still holding 

 the fruit by the fork, cut through the peel 

 avoiding the little bundles of bristles ; then 

 with the knife push the peel from the oval- 

 shaped mass of pulp within. Cactus fruit 

 is very wholesome and nourishing and can 

 be eaten in great quantities with benefit. 

 The seeds are to be swallowed as with to- 

 matoes. The fruit is much more delic- 

 ious when cold. 



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