28 



Land Proiec/io >i.—Prie]dy-pear, especially 

 Opuntia dillenii, has been purposely planted in 

 some places to prevent the transportation of sand 

 and light soils by the wind and other agencies— 

 a practice that again has aided in its permanent 

 occupancy of some areas. 



Entanglements. — In visiting the mountain 

 fortress of Bellary and remarking the abundance 

 of the formidably-armed Prickly-pear {Opuntia 

 dillenii) still clothing some of its ramparts, one is 

 reminded of another use for the plant that the 

 exigencies of circumstances in India have dis- 

 covered. In this connection one may recall 

 Bishop Heber's description of Rampoor, " a large 

 town chiefly remarkable for its sort of fortifica- 

 tion which surroiuids it. This is a high, thick 

 hedge, or rather plantation, of bamboos, set as 

 close to each other as possible, and faced on the 

 outside by a formidable underwood of Cactus."* 

 In this connection one may mention the small 

 enclosures bounded by hedges of Euphorbia and 

 Opuntia referred to by Wilks in his " Historical 

 Sketch of the South of India," vol. III., p. 84, 

 1817 (quoted by Birkill), " as having caused the 

 entanglement of Tippoo Sultan's horse in the 

 battle of Poongar on the banks of the Caveri on 

 September 12th, 1790." 



SUMMARY OP INVESTIGATIONS IN 

 INDIA. 



There are two species of Prickly-pear 

 occurring in Southern India which may be con- 

 sidered as pests. These are Opuntia dillenii and 

 0. nigricans. Both of these are very common in 

 Madras Presidency and other parts of Southern 

 India, while 0. nigricans occurs plentifully in the 

 Bombay Presidency and in certain areas of 

 Central India. 



In Northern India both of these species are 

 to be met with more or less frequently, but do 



* Heber R., " Narrative of a journey through the 

 Upper Provinces of India frona Calcutta to Bombay," 

 1824-5, Vol. 2, London 1829. 



not constitute a pest. The Punjab OpunPia 

 though common in North-western India, has not 

 yet reached such a stage that it can be regarded 

 as a pest pear. 



One species (0. monacantha) has evidently 

 been very widespread throughout India in years 

 past, but is now relatively uncommon in North 

 India and practically extinct in South India. 

 This result has been brought about by the "Wild 

 Cochineal Insect (Coccus indicus. Green). 



No disease of a fungoid or bacterial origin 

 has been met with, or heard of, in India by the 

 Commission which is likely to be of value in 

 checking the spread of Prickly-pear. 



There exists in India— rarely now, but 

 formerly in abundance — an insect, the "Wild 

 Cochineal, which is capable of controlling and 

 destroying one particular species, 0. monacantha, 

 in the same way as in Ceylon. 



In regard to utilisation as fodder, various 

 species have been employed in different parts of 

 India during times of scarcity. Their use has 

 been attended, as a rule, with some good result, 

 more particularly when other food of a dry 

 nature has been added. Experiments have 

 generally been carried out over too short a period 

 to allow of opinions being expressed as to their 

 applicability to Queensland conditions. The mat- 

 ter is regarded by the Indian authorities as being 

 still in an experimental stage, and investigations 

 are being continued by them. The removal of 

 thorns in the case of spiny species is necessary, 

 though tedious and relatively costly. This objec- 

 tion is not so important in Queensland, as our 

 commonest pest pear is less formidably armed. 



In certain districts Prickly -pears have been 

 used as a fertiliser of soils. 



Though the fibre of 0. dillenii has been pro- 

 nounced as -being worthless as a substance for the 

 production of paper, when compared with other 

 equally abundant materials, we have no evidence 

 that manufacturers of paper pulp have as yet 

 examined it. 



III. SOUTH AFRICA. 



EAST COAST OP AFRICA. 



The Commission left Bombay for South 

 Africa, the steamer calling into various East 

 African ports, at some of which Prickly-pears 

 were found to be growing naturalised. The 

 species met with on Zanzibar Island, also on the 

 outskirts of Beira, in Portuguese East Africa, as 

 well as in and near the town of Lorenzo Marques, 

 on Delagoa Bay, was Opuntia monacantha. As 

 already stated, this species occurs in various 

 Australian States and is especially abundant on 

 the Suttor River in Queensland. It is able to 

 withstand a much moister climate than the other 

 species so far met with by the Commission. In 

 none of the three places referred to was the 

 cactus a pest plant. A species of Dactylopius 

 was found on it at Lorenzo Marques, but no detri- 

 mental effect was observable. There was no evi- 

 dence of any disease affecting the pear in the 

 localities visited. 



SOUTH AFRICA. 



One member of the Commission landed at 

 Durban, and the other at Lorenzo Marques, 

 travelling thence to Pretoria. An itinerary was 

 arranged by Mr. C. Lounsbury, Government Ento- 

 mologist, and Mr. R. Thornton, Principal of 

 Grootfontein Agricultural College, Middelburg, 

 Cape Province, in consequence of which a visit 

 was paid to Pietersburg, in North Transvaal, and 

 then to the Eastern Division of the Cape Pro- 

 vince. It was in the latter area that most of the 

 inquiry was made, as it is in this region that the 

 Prickly-pear has become a serious pest. Cape- 

 town was made the point of departure from South 

 Africa for England. 



During the stay in South Africa, every 

 assistance was most willingly rendered by the 

 officers of the Department of Agriculture of the 

 Union. 



