21 



DESTRUCTION BY UTILISATION AS 

 FODD]^. 



Northern India. 



The question of utilising as fodder such 

 succulent plants as Prickly-pears occurring in 

 abundance in certain parts of India, especially 

 the Presidencies of Madras and Bombay, where 

 dry conditions often prevail and drought and 

 famine are not uncommon, has received consider- 

 able attention. There is little doubt that, as is 

 already admitted in Queensland, cacti have some 

 value as food, this being especially the case during 

 times of scarcity. 



In the report of the Nagpur Experiment 

 Farm for 1892-3* it is stated that cattle were 

 fed on Prickly-pear (presumably 0. nigricans), 

 and, in spite of the fact that they were worked 

 during the whole time of the experiment, actually 

 increased in weight. 



In the report on the Cawnpore Agricultural 

 Station, United Provinces, for the year ending 

 June, 1907 (Allahabad, 1908), Dr. J. M. Hayman, 

 the Deputy* Director of Agriculture, mentioned 

 that spineless varieties of a cactus {Opuntia 

 ficus-indica) were being propagated for use on 

 waste land as a possible fodder in times of 

 drought, but regarded it as an open question 

 whether the spiny forms would not be better, as 

 they were self -protecting and hardier, and their 

 spines could be, and were in that province, 

 scorched off in a manner similar to that employed 

 in Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. Although it was 

 admitted that cactus was a poor fodder, yet it 

 might he supplemented by other food, and, more- 

 over, it contained a considerable quantity of 

 moisture at a time when water was scarce. Its 

 drought-resisting properties were well known, but 

 it became withered by the hot winds and drought 

 of the province. Some were grown in Bundel- 

 kund, but did not propagate readily and, in order 

 to plant out large areas, he stated that it would 

 be necessary to send supplies of joints or seed- 

 lings. Later reports do not contain any reference 

 to Prickly-pear, but in the report on the Agricul- 

 tural Station at Orai (Bundelkund) for the year 

 ending June, 1909) Mr. B. C. Burt mentioned 

 that Prickly-pear plants were being propagated 

 at Cawnpore with a view to planting out an 

 area at Orai. In the report for the next year 

 he stated that the spineless cactus (0. ficus- 

 indica) sent from Cawnpore had been planted 

 out in certain waste lands on the station, and had 

 become established, though growth was very slow 

 during the hot weather. -No further information 

 was either available in reports or known to the 

 officials at Cawnpore Agricultural College. The 

 species referred to was seen at the latter place. 

 It was Nopalea cochinelifera, and not 0. ficus- 

 indica. 



A few working cattle were fed at Cawnpore 

 for a month on singed cactus chopped up and 

 mixed with wheat straw without any ill result. 

 About 3 parts of the latter were added to 1 of the 

 former. 



Madras Presidency. 



In 1866 — ^that is a considerable time after 

 Sir G. le Marchant had proposed the use of 

 cactus as a fodder for cattle in India, the Agri- 



* Not available. 



cultural and Horticultural Society of Madras 

 making the experiment, but with negative results 

 —Mr. H. S. Thomas, the sub-Collector of Salem* 

 prepared fodder by adding bran or hay to seg- 

 ments of 0. dillenii which had been sliced after 

 the clusters of thorns had been removed. The 

 animals (bullocks and milch cows) were given 

 in addition to the hay, as much cactus as they 

 would eat. 



During the great famine of 1876-1877, con- 

 siderable use was made of Prickly-pear. A. 

 Sabhapathi, of Bellary, kept cattle alive during 

 the period by feeding them on cut up pear, from 

 which the thorns had been removed by hand 

 tools, and to which one or two pounds of rice 

 straw were added. Sometimes the pear was fed 

 alone, sometimes dry hill grass and cotton hulls 

 were added in the case of working cattle.f The 

 ration was simplified by J. H. Cox,$ so that each 

 animal received a daily allowance of 40 lb. of 

 pear with 1 lb. of rice straw, no injurious result 

 from this diet being noticed. In the case of 

 animals new to this diet and to the end" that they 

 might relish it, the pear on being cut was 

 sprinkled "with a handful of horse gram flour 

 or the flour of some other pulse, mixed with a 

 little common salt. ' ' 



This use of Opuntia in combination with 

 certain other vegetable products iu a dry condi- 

 tion (grass, rice straw, &e.), or without such addi- 

 tion, in the extensive Bellary district in 1876- 

 1877, initiated apparently by Sabhapathi, was 

 adopted by many of the local agriculturists. 

 Thus the Collector (J. N. Master), reporting in 

 July and August, 1877, stated that many ryots 

 about Bellary had been feeding their cattle on 

 Prickly-pear for months past.§ 



Reviewing at the time the evidence regarding 

 this method of utilising Opuntia dillenii, the 

 Madras Government concluded that "experience 

 in the [Bellary] district generally was the same 

 as elsewhere — viz., that cattle can be induced to 

 eat the plant after a time, and will thrive on it."|| 



In addition to the Bellary experiences of the 

 use of Prickly-pear as a food-stuff for cattle, those 

 of other Divisions of the Madras Presidency 

 during the Famine period, 1876-1877, may also 

 he referred to, summarising what is contained in 

 various official reports. || 



The favourable results obtained at BeUary 

 led to the carrying out of similar experiments in 

 the Cuddapah district, a large number of cattle 

 being carried through the period of famirie as a 

 result.** 



In the Kurnool Collectorate demonstration 

 experiments were carried out on a small farm 

 obtained for that purpose. Here the " encourag- 

 ing results obtained induced many people to seek 

 admission for their cattle," and applications to- 

 this end had to be rejected eventually, owing to 

 the difliculty of obtaining Prickly-pear there 



* Thomas, H.S., in lit. 3, VII., 1866 (Proc. Bd. Rev., 

 Madras, 30, VII., 1866). 



t Letter, 26th Jan., 1900. 



} Proo. Bd. Rev., Madras, 7th Mar., 1877. 



§ Proc. Bd. Rev., Madras, 20th July, 1877, and 22nd 

 Aug., 1877. 



II Op. cit., 22nd Aug., 1877. 



If Proceedings Revenue Dept., No. 2, 539, pp. 1-17, 

 21st Aug., 1877, Madras. 



** Actg. Collector, 30th Mar., 1877. 



