OPDNTIA.. 71>- 



requires little or no care or irrigation. The season of sowing or sprinkling 

 the insect on the plants is the month of May or June, and the gathering is- 

 made in October, when the commercial operations commence and con-^ 

 tinue until the following May, During 1882 the shipments of cochineal 

 were 4,8i0,316 lbs., showing a diminution of 791,339 lbs. on the export 

 of the preTious year. Of this quantity England took 2,715,983 Ibs.,- 

 America 868,818 lbs., and France 952,i60 lbs., the remainder going to 

 Germany, Spain, and Morocco. That the trade was of great value is 

 shown by the price in 1880 of 2s. Ad. per lb. in England and 3f. the kilo 

 in France, which produced a. return of £600,000, or four-fifths of the 

 whole trade of Canary Islands. The trade might have continued in a 

 better state had not the cochineal farmers glutted the markets and 

 refused to see the necessity of lowering their prices, in consequence of 

 the discoveries of fresh colouring matter." It may be added, however,, 

 that it is very probable the cochineal trade will revive, as it has been 

 proved by Mr. James Startinof St. John's Hospital, London, that the now 

 frequent employment of aniline dyes for articles of clothing causes many 

 skin diseases, and he has strongly advocated the substitution of vegetable- 

 dyes. 



As to the total amount of cochineal imported it was estimated in> 

 1827 that about 150,000 lbs. were annually sent to this country, the 

 value being £275,000, while in 1882 the total imports were 24,934 cwts- 



OPUNTIA, Miller. 



(The Indian Figs or Prickly Fears.) 



The ordinary type of Opuntia is one of the most familiar forms of" 

 Cactus. The peculiar flattened, oval, or elliptical branches destitute of 

 leaves, but armed with abundant spines, constitute the distinguishing 

 characters of the Indian Figs as they are known to most people, and that, 

 in fact, is the predominating form in this large genus. There are, however, 

 many very striking departures from these prevailing characters : for in- 

 stance, several species have irregularly cylindrical stems and slight eleva- 

 tions of the surface, similar to hut not so prominent as the tubercles in 

 other genera, and identical with them in structure. Some of these species 

 have very slender stems, such as 0. leptocaulis, and when not in flower- 

 could scarcely be recognised as a member of the Indian Fig group. In 

 one respect the Opuntias are especially peculiar, and this is in the pro- 

 duction upon the younger branches, particularly of the flat- stemmed kinds, 

 of small thick flleshy appendages, which are regarded as leaves, or, at least, 

 as their representatives. These appear below the clusters of spines, and are- 



