59 



large quantities, and not only of pale colour, but 

 free from foreign matter and without any un- 

 pleasant smell, it might perhaps be possible to 

 utilise it as a sizing material in the tejjtile indus- 

 try ; but if it had to be transported any consider- 

 able distance for this purpose it would have to be 

 evaporated to a solid condition, and the cost of 

 this would probably ^be prohibitive, unless on 

 technical trial the gum were found to have special 

 properties which would make it a desirable substi- 

 tute for starch and other cheap sizing materials, 

 which seems unlikely." 



Minor Uses. 

 In addition to the abovementioned uses there 

 are a few others in the Mediterranean littoral 

 which may be mentioned. 



As Hedges and Fuel. — The use of 0. ficus- 

 indioa, and especially 0. amyclcea and occasionally 

 0. dillenii, as hedge-plants is very widespread. 

 In Morocco, villages are often surrounded by 0. 

 amyclcea in such a way as to remind one of a 

 similar condition seen commonly in India. In 

 many localities, old stems are used as fuel. 



As Manure. — In many parts, e.g., Algeria, 

 Spain, and Sicily, the plant is used as a green 

 manure, a very valuable addition in the case of 

 poor, dry soils such as are met with in many 

 localities. The moisture contained in the joints 

 is gradually set free, and of course humus is also 

 added to the soil by their decomposition. In 

 parts of Spain it is used in this way to improve 

 soils on which vineyards are being raised. The 

 Arabs in Morocco and in Algeria frequently dis- 

 tribute the joints underground about the roots 

 of trees for the same purpose. They also com- 

 monly place them in holes in which it is proposed 

 to plant fruit trees or sow melons a little later, 

 the result being said to be decidedly advanta- 

 geous. Biuso has referred to similar practices 

 in Sicily, where arenaceous soils seem to receive 

 more benefit than clay lands. C. Casey* has 

 mentioned that he saw the joints of prickly-pear 

 used as a "leaf" manure near Naples. 



As a Dye. — The colouring matter derived 

 from the fruit of 0. dillenii is used in Sicily for 

 colouring toys and various articles of basket 

 ware (Sprenger, 1901, p. 80). It is almost iden- 

 tical with that contained in the fruit of the two 

 common prickly-pears of Queensland. 



SUMMARY. 

 Of the many kinds of Opuntia occurring in 

 the Mediterranean, only two are commonly met 

 with, and even these are regarded by many 

 authorities as being varifeties of one species, 

 0. ficus-indica. 



* Agrestia ligustica— Riviera Edit. 2, London, 1903, 

 p. 190. 



They are not considered as a pest in any por- 

 tion of tliis region, while the Barbary or Indian 

 Figs (0. ficus-indica and 0. amyclma) are 

 regarded rather as valuable plants capable of 

 producing fruit for human consumption, the 

 stems and joints themselves being used for the 

 feeding of stock. 



The prominent place given to Prickly-pear 

 (0. fi.cus-indica) in stock-feeding in Algeria, 

 Tunis, Sardinia, and Corsica should not be 

 without significance for Queensland, especially 

 in view of the prevalence of drought conditions. 



No insect pest or disease was met with whose 

 introduction into Queensland would be desirable. 



Alcohol production from the fruit proved 

 to be a commercial success in this region, until 

 fiscal changes interfered with the industry. In- 

 vestigations are still being prosecuted in Italy. 



The mucilage was not examined in a detailed 

 manner. It is suggested by the Imperial Insti- 

 tute that the gum, if obtained in a sufficient quan- 

 tity and pale in colour, might perhaps be of use 

 commercially in local textile industries as a sizing 

 material, but would not be able to compete abroad 

 with other gums. It should be mentioned that 

 the samples submitted had apparently undergone 

 some decomposition. We think that this possible 

 use of mucilage in the arts is worthy of special 

 inquiry. 



The low percentage of fibre, the shortness of 

 individual fibres, and the poor quality of the 

 paper produced from the pulp all seem to indi- 

 cate that prickly-pears cannot be considered as 

 paper-pulp producing plants from a commercial 

 point of view. There are, however, other fabrics 

 of value which may be made from a pulp which 

 would produce only a poor paper or be unsuitable 

 even for any paper. 



Although Professor Dunstan has stated that 

 the pulp produced would not be worth more than 

 a few pounds per ton, yet when we consider that, 

 as a result of certain processes of destruction, 

 the fibre is left in a condition more or less 

 suitable for pulp-making, the possibility of pulp 

 being made on a commercial scale from what is 

 really a by-product is greatly increased. The 

 profits derived from the sale of such dried pulp- 

 producing fibre ^vould lessen the net cost of clear- 

 ing the land infested with prickly-pear. The 

 opinion of an expert is necessary if we are to 

 regard the matter from this point of view. 



APPENDIX TO SECTION V. 

 Mr. J. C. Briinnich's analyses of prickly-pears 

 naturalised in Queensland. 



