ROOTS, TUBERS, AND OTHER SUCCULENT FEEDS 147 
The spineless cacti have been considerably exploited in the south- 
western States and California during recent years as a feed for 
farm animals, and extravagant claims are often made as regards 
the yields obtained and the nutritive value of the plants. The 
yields have been calculated on the basis of the weight of slabs from 
a single young plant, or perhaps a small field during a single sea- 
son, and enormous figures, as high as 1000 tons per acre, have been 
claimed as a result. As against these figures we have accurate 
information as to the yields secured at the Arizona station and at 
Chico, Cal., where the United States Department of Agriculture 
has conducted experiments with this plant for a number of years 
past. The results obtained at the latter place show an average 
annual yield between 20 and 25 tons to the acre. This is with 
expert cultivation and maintenance of a perfect stand. “The 
plantation has been carefully cultivated, all weeds have been kept 
down during the growing season, and a good tilth has been main- 
tained during the summer. Once.or twice a year the whole planta- 
tion has been gone over, and missing plants replaced.” 
Cactus is well liked by most farm animals, and is especially 
adapted for feeding cattle and swine. Instances are on record of 
dairy cows eating 100 to 150 pounds of cacti a day per head, for 
months at a time, receiving no dry feed in addition, but on account 
of the laxative effect of the plant, and on general principles, the 
better practice is to feed either dry roughage or grain feed, or 
both, in connection with it, whether the animals fed be fattening 
steers, milch cows, or swine. According to Griffiths, 6 pounds of 
green prickly pears, when singed, have a feeding value similar to 
a pound of dry sorghum hay when fed to dairy cattle.?* A carload 
of range steers fed 96 pounds of singed prickly pears and 4.3 
pounds of cotton-seed meal per head daily for a period of 104 days 
gained 1.75 pounds daily per head on this feed; it required, there- 
fore, 55 pounds of pears and 2.5 pounds of cotton-seed meal per 
pound of gain, at a cost of about 314 cents per day for feed. 
References.—The following Department of Agriculture or experiment 
station publications have been issued during late years on the subject of 
prickly pears and spineless cacti: “‘Singed Cacti as a Forage,” Arizona 
Bulletin 51 (Timely Hints No. 52), May, 1904. “The Prickly Pear and 
Other Cacti as Feeds for Stock,” Griffiths, U. S. Bureau of Plant Industry, 
Bulletin 74, 1905. “Feeding Prickly Pears to Stock in Texas,” Griffiths, 
U. 8. Bureau of Animal] Industry, Bulletin 91, 1906. “ Prickly Pear and. 
Other Cacti as Food for Stock,” Griffiths and Hare, New Mexico station, 
Bulletin 60, 1906. “The Prickly Pear as a Farm Crop,” Griffiths, Bureau of 
25 Bureau Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bulletin 91. 
