2i 



period, however, is too short during a famine 

 which extends over a ye(ar." The Deputy 

 Director submitted a sample of the Opuntia 

 "after it had been sun dried for four days, when 

 it lost 80 per cent, of its water, ' ' to Dr. Leather 

 for analysis, and states in his report that "the 

 analysis confirms the results of the feeding trials 

 as to the poor quality of the Prickly-pear as a 

 cattle food: water, 16-96; organic matter, 60-64; 

 ash, 22 40." Unfortunately, the report itself 

 lacks details regarding the procedure followed in 

 this investigation.* 



In 1911 the latter published a leaflet entitled 

 "Prickly-pear as Fodder," in which he men- 

 tioned that it may be used along with other 

 fodder for cattle, and "the amount fed may be 

 gradually increased in about a fortnight to 20 lb. 

 per day per animal, but that it can never 

 entirely replace dry fodder for cattle. The dry 

 fodder must amount to at least half the weight of 

 the Prickly-pear, or else the animals will become 

 loose and unhealthy.f 



In the meantime J. B: Knight, Professor of 

 Agriculture of the Poona Agricultural College, 

 carried out feeding experiments with Opuntia 

 nigricans on more scientific lines than any pre- 

 viously in India. The author intimated to the 

 Commission that inasmuch as they led to no 

 practical result, the information was never pub- 

 lished. Moreover, he now considers that the 

 conclusions at which he then arrived may need 

 modification, although the facts on which these 

 were based may stand. The experiments were 

 conducted along two lines — (a) to find out the 

 best method of preparing the food; and (6) to 

 find out, if fed as an additional food to the 

 usual rations given to milch cows and to working 

 bullocks, whether any advantage would be 

 derived thereby. Of several methods employed 

 for removing the spines, singeing over the blue 

 flame (of a primus stove) was most convenient, 

 and soaking (which facilitates, the detachment 

 of these) the cheapest. 



Feeding Operaiions at Dhond.t — During 

 1912-1913 renewed interest in the method of 

 utilising Prickly-pear was experienced by an 

 instance of its being prosecuted by Albert 

 Norton at Dhond, in the Poona district; and, as 

 this interest extended to Queensland as well as 

 to other parts of Australia, it is a matter to 

 claim attention in this report.§ 



* P. R. Mehta's report was issued in the form of 

 Bulletin No. 22, 1903, by the Department of Agriculture 

 of Bombay 



t Vid. Dep. of Agriculture, Leaflet No. 7, 1911, Gov. 

 Centr. Press. 



t Dhond is situated in a, very dry part of the country. 

 During 1912, 9 inches of rain had fallen; and up to 5th 

 February, 1913, 2 inches more. The ill-effect due to 

 absence of rain would, of course, be minimised by the 

 time of incidence of the little falling. Thus, if 9 inches 

 were properly distributed there, enough cereal and fodder 

 crops for the year might be secured. This did not happen 

 in 1912. 



§ The stock-feeding operations at Dhond have been 

 previously made known in the following publications :— 

 (1) Norton (Albert), " Experience with Cactus as an 

 ' Emergency Fodder ' in India," a letter, " Bombay 

 Guardian," 10th August, 1912. (2) Knight (Prof. J. B.), 

 " Note on Mr. Norton's Experiments of Feeding Prickly- 

 pear," Bombay Press, December, 1912. (3) Anon. 

 (Rev. H. Fairbank, fide A. Norton), " Times of India," 

 25th Jan., 1913. Contents : The foregoing letter (1) 

 and extracts from publications on the use of Prickly-pear 

 in stock-feeding generally. (4) Anon., " Daily Telegraph," 

 Sydney, New South Wales, 7th Sep., 1912. Contents' : 

 Reprint of No. 3. (5) Anon., The " Courier," Brisbane 

 Queensland, nth Sep., 1912. Contents : Reprint of No s' 



From A. Norton's letter (1) the following 

 account of his operations is elicited. His 

 experience in preparing cactus for fodder began 

 in 1907 ; and for three years previous to August, 

 1912, he had been feeding it to the animals of the 

 farm as an emergency feed, but this must not be 

 taken as signifying continuous feeding for the 

 period mentioned. 



During the eight months ending August, 



1912, he had kept alive a herd of about twenty 

 oxen and buffaloes on 1,000 lb. of cactus daily, 

 the thorns having been previously removed. 



Professor Elnight's "note" relates to 

 observations made by himself during a visit to 

 Mr. Norton's farm. The eighteen animals there 

 were seen to eat the ration greedily, this daily 

 ration consisting of 1,000 lb. of priekly-pear 

 which had been passed through a circular chaff- 

 cutter after its thorns had been burnt off, and 

 60 lb. of cotton seed, the mixture being fed twice 

 a day. No other food had been given to the 

 animals for eleven inonths, but a small amount 

 was evidently obtained by grazing, even though 

 the rainfall was so low. The additional fodder 

 obtained was at times sufficient to reduce the 

 consumption of priekly-pear by 40 per cent. The 

 animals were found to be maintained in good 

 condition. 



These feeding operations at Dhond were 

 evidently not regarded as sufficiently conclusive, 

 since the Department of Agriculture, at the in- 

 stance of Professor Knight, planned and insti- 

 tuted other Prickly-pear stock-feeding experi- 

 ments. These were being prosecuted at the time 

 of our inquiry, at the Civil Dairy, Kirknee, 

 Poona, with E. W. Home as manager. A visit 

 was paid to the institution on 3rd February, 



1913, in company with Professor Knight, but, as 

 the experiments had only recently been com- 

 menced, further reference to them may be 

 postponed. 



Since Mr. Norton was still using Prickly-pear 

 as an emergency stock food at the time of this 

 inquiry, a call at the ' ' Orphanage Farm, ' ' Dhond, 

 was made on 5th February, 1913, on which occa- 

 sion the fullest information to hand was cour- 

 teously furnished. He stated that he was now.- 

 feeding twenty-one cattle on the emergency 

 ration as described above. The animals, not 

 being within the precincts of the homestead, 

 were not seen. The species of Prickly-pear 

 used was the prevalent Opuntia nigricans. This 

 material was much drier, owing to prevalent 

 drought, than Prickly-pear of the same species 

 growing at Poona, and accordingly had a much 

 lower water and higher solid content. The 

 cotton seed mixed with the prepared Prickly- 

 pear at the time of feeding was usually, as 

 was stated, ground first in a bone-mill operated 

 by tread power. No difficulty was found to 

 persuade cattle to consume this diet after a 

 little preliminary coaxing. Mr. Norton, more- 

 over, stated that he was now giving to each of 

 the grown cattle at night, in addition to the cactus 

 and cotton seed, a bundle of dry sorghum stalks, 

 each weighing, say, 3 to 5 lb. A heap of har- 

 vested sorghum stalks from which the supply was 

 evidently drawn was noticed in a small yard. The 

 cattle had access, it was noted also, to a small 

 sorghum cultivation, where they could obtain 

 what little stalks the stubble still yi elded there.* 



* Those who have watched Indian cattle being fed in 

 the Deocan will have observed the extent to which coarse 

 dry fodder enters into the dietary. 



