236 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 



Some Outing Reminiscences 



The prairie plains and forests 

 around San Antonio abound with 

 various wild ruit-bearing trees 

 and shrubbery, which are more or 

 less eatable and delicious, and 

 are a great boon to animal life 

 on the plains during droughty 

 times of the year, and a great 

 variety of such wild fruit serves 



wild animals, including especially 

 the feathery tribe, as nourishment 

 during the warm seasons and in 

 droughty time. Cattle especially 

 are very fond of the prairie fruit, 

 for instance the mesquite bean; 

 and of late years some enterprising 

 cattle raisers are advocating the 

 special care of the mesquite tree, 



Forest Scenery at Our Beautiful Salado Creek Bottom, East_op SanI Antonio. (By the Writer, 



mankind as delicious foodstuffs 

 in the kitchen, for instanc_e the 

 strawberry, dewberry, plum, cherry 

 grapes, pecan, agarita berry, etc., 

 whilst others and all of these, 

 the mesquite bean, persimmon, 

 the cactus fruit, hackberry, yellow 

 berry, blackberry etc., serve the 



on account of its useful beans — 

 by converting them into a whole- 

 some mealpowder to serve as 

 food for cattle and horses. In 

 droughty years, when hay is 

 scarce and other feedstuffs high 

 in price, such mesquite bean meal, 

 , as well as prepared cactus leaves, 



