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is furthermore worthy of note that the digestibility of grain and 
hay becomes greater with the addition of the cactus fodder. 
It goes without saying that the spines existing upon these 
plants constitute a great obstacle to their successful use as fodder. 
The large spines, conspicuous to the eye, and rendering the plants 
so obviously formidable, are really of little importance when 
compared with the inconspicuous ones, which are not noticeable 
to the ordinary observer. I do not mean that these large spines 
lessness is manifested in handling the plants. Furthermore, there 
is in many cases a little cap at the tip which is detached and left 
behind in the flesh when the thorns are pulled out. Some of 
these caps Possess their own poisonous properties, in addition 
to those which may exist upon them from the presence of ordinary 
atmospheric germs. The result is that they are capable of pro- 
ducing, and frequently do produce serious festering wounds and 
sometimes quite serious blood poisoning. 
For every one of these larger spines, there are perhaps hundreds 
of a different kind, as fine as hair and only a small fraction of an 
inch in length. These are not borne singly as are the larger 
ones, but form little cushions, appearing like velvet to the eye, 
so densely massed they are, and penetrating the flesh in great 
numbers when these cushions are touched, even in the lightest 
manner. It is obvious that to feed cattle or sheep upon cactus 
fodder bearing this frightful armament would prove seriously 
injurious and, ultimately, aad fatal in most cases. he 
method that has prevailed in the ordinary use of cactus as a 
famine fodder, has been that of ce off the larger spines 
and scorching off the finer ones, a process to which they yield 
instantly. A more important method is that of causing the 
plants to cease the production of the spines, by a process of 
plant selection and breeding. To this undertaking, Mr. Burbank, 
and to a less extent some others, have devoted great attention, 
and the results are quite promising. 
Before taking up the important uses of the cactuses for human 
food, a few words may be said regarding their possible utilization 
as a source of sugar, alcohol and fiber. 
