62 



j^ully propagated from joints ; irrigation, cultiva- 

 tion, and manuring being often resorted to in 

 order to produce good plants. In Syria it is a 

 common practice to renew the plants every five 

 to ten years, since older specimens are regarded 

 as being less efficient fruit-bearers. In some 

 places — e.g., in Italy, Sicily, and Damascus 

 (Syria), this species is planted out and cared 

 for in much the same way as an orchard. In some 

 parts of the Barbary States men are employed 

 to guard the ripening fruit against thieves. It 

 is not uncommon in Algeria to see plantations of 

 this cactus, intended mainly for cattle fodder, 

 but also for fruit-production, surrounded by a 

 hedge of the spiny 0. amyclcea or of thorny 

 mimosa as a protection against stock. 0. amy- 

 clcea is generally grown as a fruit-producing 

 hedge. 



In the Mediterranean countries, especially 

 Spain, Italy, and Sicily, there are numerous well- 

 established varieties of 0. ficus-indica, the fruits 

 having certain characteristics and varying in 

 value according to their edible qualities. 



Fruits are sold in great quantities and at 

 a very low cost for about four months of the 

 year. They constitute a very important part of 

 the food supply, especially of the poorer people. 

 Many are eaten at a time, the seeds being swal- 

 lowed, sometimes with iU result. At Jerez 

 (Spain), according to Senor P. Gonzales, of that 

 city, and no doubt elsewhere, there have been 

 many cases of intestinal obstruction, necessitating 

 medical treatment and even surgical operations 

 as a result, and death has followed in some 

 instances. 



It is worthy of note that large quantities of 

 prickly-pear fruit are being exported from Italy 

 to the United States. 



Owing to the very important place held by 

 the Indian or Barbary Fig as a cheap and abun- 

 dant article of diet, a good deal of literature has 

 been written regarding its cultivation, uses, 

 varieties of fruits, &c., the most important per- 

 haps being the works of Biuso and Guastella. 



Utilisation as Foddeb poe Stock. 

 As already mentioned, both species are com- 

 monly used in nearly all the Mediterranean coun- 

 tries as fodder for animals, very little use being 

 thus made of them, however, in Italy and Sicily. 

 Of course, the smooth-jointed 0. ficus-indica is 

 preferred, and is usually fed without any treat- 

 ment to cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, and camels, 

 whereas the spiny species, 0. armjclcea, can be 

 fed only to camels unless the spines be first 

 scorched off, as is done in Cyprus, a few parts of 

 Spain, and the Barbary and Syrian coasts. 

 Though utilised all the year round, it is during 

 seasons of drought that these plants have a 

 particular value— a fact already known to Aus- 

 tralian stock-owners. The summer in the Medi- 

 terranean region is a relatively rainless period, 

 and it is not an uncommon sight to see both 

 species of Opuntias more or less shrivelled or 

 even killed as a result of the very hot, dry cli- 

 mate, this being especially the case in the Barbary 

 States, where these plants are confined to the 

 coastal and lower upland regions. 



Professor L. Trabut, Director of the Botani- 

 cal Service of Algeria, has endeavoured to im- 

 prove the feeding properties of prickly-pears. A 



spineless species, 0. anacantha, Speg., was foi'- 

 warded from Argentina by Dr. C. Spegazzini for 

 use in that country as a cattle fodder. In Tunisia, 

 the matter has also called for attention, Mr. P. 

 Bourde dealing with it in a paper published in 

 1894. Amongst others, Baillaud (1910), Jehanne 

 (1904, 1906), and Perkins (1912) have referred 

 to this method of utilising prickly-pears in Medi- 

 terranean countries. 



As it is generally recognised that cacti do 

 not possess a sufficiently high nutritive value to 

 be used as a complete ration for stock, Professor 

 Tucci, of Palermo, in 1890 formulated a niunber 

 of cattle rations for use at different times of the 

 year, various substances of higher nutritive value 

 being suggested as additions to the Opuntia. 

 Chemical data relating to 0. ficus-indica have 

 been published by Ferrero (1874) and Mancuso- 

 lima (c/. Guastella, 1913), and calorific equiva- 

 lents of the different constituents by G-iglioli in 

 1903, while the value of prickly-pear as a stock 

 food has been considered by Chicolo (1871, 1874), 

 Biuso (1879, pp. 152-174), and Guastella (1913, 

 pp. 48-54). Sotyia (1898, pp. 113-167) has also 

 dealt with this latter aspect in its application 

 to Corsica and Sardinia, where the same two 

 species of Opuntia are also met with. Bourde 

 in 1896 advocated the use of prickly-pear as a 

 forage plant in Tunis, and suggested the employ- 

 ment of equal parts of the cactus and chaff. 

 Biuso (1879, pp. 162-3) has given a description 

 of a special cutting machine devised for reducing 

 prickly-pear to a state suitable for cattle feed. 



Dr. G. Sotyia 's work has reference to the 

 utilisation of the local Sardinian prickly-pear 

 as fodder for milch cattle in an island where 

 drought conditions are by no means uncommon. 

 The animals are compelled to subsist for some 

 months on stubble and dry grass stalks scorched 

 by the hot sun, and, as a result, their milk yield 

 decreases, and may even cease, especially during 

 August and September. Dr. Sotyia points out that 

 this is caused by. a deficiency in albuminous 

 matter in the ration, brought about by the 

 absence of succulence in the fodder, and quotes 

 Wolff to the effect that it is due to this fact that 

 even hay of the best quality will not maintain a 

 high milk yield unless some succulent food be 

 present, on account of influence of the latter 

 in increasing the absorption of water and album- 

 inous matter, both of which are favourable to 

 abundant lactation. 



The prickly-pear, which was used finely cut 

 up, was found to have an average food value in 

 protein substance, fat, and other carbohydrates, 

 which fell below the standard ration and was 

 therefore supplemented by an adequate amount 

 of bran or dry grass of known composition, so 

 that the constituents of the mixture corresponded 

 approximately in amount to "Wolff's standard 

 ration for milch cows, viz., protein, 1-250 kg.; 

 carbohydrate, 6.250 kg.; and fat, .200 kg. per 

 500 kg. of live weight. On this basis, the amount 

 of pear " used varied for individual cows from 

 24.37 to 31.25 kg. daily. The ration was readily 

 eaten by the animals. 



The milk yield was examined daily, and the 

 results compared with those obtained both before 

 and after the experiment, and in one instance 

 with that yielded by animals which had been de- 

 prived of their quota of prickly-pear, although 

 given a ration generous in other respects. In 



