63 



addition to comparing the amount of milk 

 obtained in a given time, there were estimated 

 the density of the milk and^of the whey as well 

 as the proportionate amounts of butter-fat, total 

 solids, water, casein, mi.lk sugar, protein, ash, 

 albuminoids in the total solids, nitrogen in the 

 total solids, albuminoids in the milk, and nitrogen 

 in the milk. 



As a result of many analyses it was found 

 that, although the composition of the milk varied 

 in accordance with several factors which 

 ordinarily determine such variation, e.g., race, 

 individuality of cow, time in period of lactation, 

 hour of milking, health, etc., there was little or 

 no influence exerted on it by the pear contained 

 in the ration. On the other hand, there was a 

 marked increase in the quantity of milk produced, 

 and since the composition remained the same, 

 except for normal differences just indicated, 

 the aggregate amount of butter-fat and other 

 constituents of the milk was correspondingly in- 

 creased. 



Dr. Sotyia estimated that the average daily 

 appetite of a cow for " pear " (0. ficus-indica) 

 might be taken as 25 kilogrammes, which would 

 contaui about 0.135 kg. of protein, 0.032 kg. of 

 fat, and 0.650 kg. of other carbohydrate. In order 

 to bring this up to Wolff's standard ration for a 

 cow weighing 500 kg., he would add 1.115 kg. 

 protein, 0.168 kg. fat, and 5.600 kg. of carbo- 

 hydrate, these amounts being yielded by about 

 14 kg. of good meadow hay. In view of the 

 abundance in Sardinia of such succulent food as 

 prickly-pear, this author believed that his investi- 

 gations had shown how the difficulties 

 experienced there regarding milk production 

 might be overcome. 



Utilisation for Alcohol Production. 



In Algeria the juice of the fruits is often 

 fermented to make a low-grade liquor used by 

 some of the poorer Arabs. Mr. J. L. Abrines, 

 of Gibraltar, informed the Commission that the 

 manufacture of alcohol from prickly-pear was 

 tried in Granada (Spain) some years ago, but, 

 owing to the heavy excise imposed by the Spanish 

 Government upon all alcohol, the venture did not 

 become a commercial success. Bourde (1896, p. 

 652) made a brief reference in 1896 to the distil- 

 lation of prickly-pear fruit in Spain. 



Considerable attention has been given to the 

 question of using the ' ' Indian Fig ' ' in this way 

 in Italy and Sicily, Biuso (1879, pp. 139-151) 

 Sprenger (1901), and Guastella (1913, pp. 55-59) 

 dealing with it. Biuso (p. 116) quoted an analy- 

 sis by Maneuso-Lima (1878, p. 51), in which the 

 amount of glycogenic matter as produced in ripe 

 fruit of 0. ficus-indica is given at 36-64 per cent. 



Ulpiani and Sarcoli (1901, p. 57) found that 

 the juice expressed from its crude pulp con- 

 tained 12-8 per cent, of sugar; the pulp itself, 

 containing the seeds, 10-34 per cent.; and the 

 complete fruit when dried, 7-9 per cent. They 

 found that the ferment (Saccharomyces opuntice) 

 ordinarily associated with the fruit does not 

 bring about the production of the full amountof 

 alcohol theoretically possible from the quantity 

 of sugar present. Another yeast (Saccharomyces 

 pastorianus) was ascertained to be quite effective 

 if allowed to act on sterilised fruit, but if acting 



along with S. opuntice its action became inhibited. 

 It was recognised that the expense incurred in 

 sterilising the fruit to destroy S. opunticB before 

 the addition of S. pastorianus would not be justi- 

 fied when regarded from a commercial point of 

 view. 



Guastella has given an account of V. Plorio 's 

 establishment in 1856 at Catania (Sicily) of a 

 distillery to extract potable spirit from the fruit 

 of 0. ficus-indica, the imposition of a heavy excise 

 by the local municipality being the cause of the 

 failure of this undertaking, though an average of 

 about 8-6 litres of alcohol was produced from each 

 kilogramme of fruit. An attempt made by 

 Messrs. P. and A. Atanasio at Palermo proved a 

 failure, partly on account of their using an 

 unsuitable variety, and partly on account of the 

 high price of the fruit, due to a strong demand 

 for it as an article for human consumption. 



Since Ulpiani and Sarcoli carried out these 

 experiments, other Italian investigators have 

 given attention to the question of alcohol pro- 

 duction from the fruit of 0. ficus-indica. In 1908 

 A. Sanna (1908, pp. 550-561) published addi- 

 tional analyses of the fruit, and described a 

 method of preparing from it a spirit correspond- 

 ing to a true cognac. 



Within a few weeks of the Commission's 

 visit, Prof. S. Cettolini (1913, p. 456-9) furnished 

 an account of further investigations, the follow- 

 ing summary of this work being published by 

 the International Bureau of Agriculture, Eome 

 (1913, p. 1295). 



The writer recalls the experimental results 

 obtained some years ago by Dr. Sanna 

 and CoUadel, of Cagliari, in their attempt to 

 distil prickly-pears, which grow in Sardinia, 

 without any cultivation. The fruit was small but 

 heavy, averaging 3.6j)z. each, owing to the large 

 number of seeds and the consistency of the pulp. 

 When peeled, crushed, and submitted to pressure, 

 432 lb. yielded 26.8 gallons of a somewhat viscous 

 juice having a density of 1.0548. Skins repre- 

 sented 37.64 per cent, of the weight, and seeds 

 4.2 per cent., leaving a little under 59 per cent, for 

 the material to be used for alcohol extraction. 

 The analysis yielded the following results: — 

 Whole fruit — albuminous substances, 6.75 per 

 cent.; oily substances, 0.278 per cent.; cellulose, 

 1.342 per cent. Juice — extractable material, 

 15.54 per cent.; acidity, 0.0102 per cent.; ash, 

 0.692 per cent. ; saccharine substances, 11.20 per 

 cent. It was remarked that the saccharine sub- 

 stances were essentially aldehydic in character 

 and present in sufficient quantity to be distilled 

 economically, whereas the acidity was insufficient. 

 After a series of trials the best results were 

 obtained by crushing the unpeeled fruits and 

 putting the pulp thus obtained into bags and 

 subjecting it to high pressure. The lack of 

 acidity was then corrected by the addition of 0.32 

 oz. of tartaric acid per gallon, and the liquid 

 inoculated with a good alcoholic ferment in a 

 very active condition. The fermented liquid con- 

 tained 5.98 per cent, of alcohol, showing that 

 the saccharine material was well utilised. By 

 distillation and subsequent rectification, there was 

 obtained a spirit with a pleasant ethereal odour, 

 which would render it unsuitable for various in- 

 dustrial purposes. It is estimated roughly that 100 

 lb. of the fruit of this prickly-pear would produce 

 0.6 gallons of alcohol, and taking 120 cwt. of fruit 



