113 



Utilisation as Fodder for Stock. 



■ J^^ ill Queensland, prickly-pear has been used 

 in New South Wales as an emergency fodder 

 during times of scarcity (Harris, 1909, p. 242-5). 



Mr. Guthrie (1900) made analyses of green 

 and dry segments of species of Opuntia named 

 in his list as 0. ficus-indica, 0. eUtior, 0. hrasili- 

 ensis and 0. cochinelifera, but, according to Mr 

 Maiden s later determinations, the second and 

 !pS y} be m5-nca«5 and 0. monacantha 

 respectively. He believed that the feeding value 

 was fairly high. In other sections of this report 

 however, it has been shown that the fodder value 

 IS so low that some more concentrated food must 

 be added to it in order to build up a suitable 

 ration. Mr. Brunnich, who has carried out 

 numerous analyses of the species naturalised in 

 Queensland, has suggested the addition of such 

 materials as bran, cotton-seed meal, oilcake 

 molasses, &c. (1906, p. 54; 1909, p. 4). 



The pear is usually boiled or steamed to 

 sotten the spines, and some more nutritious fodder 



'^f^^n^^^J^^'^^'' ^^^^ ^' P- 52; Scott, 1902, p. 

 1052; O'Shea, 1897, p. 434; &c.). It has been 

 tound that pigs eat greedily prickly-pear plants 

 which have been boiled for some hours with meat 

 or refuse, as weU as those steamed or boiled in 

 water, if some molasses be added (Gorus, 1896, 

 p. 658). An account of the method of steaming 

 is given by Maiden (1913a, p. 53) as well as by 

 Boyce (1897, p. 260), who used the prepared 

 material for pigs and dairy cattle. 



Though it appears to be possible for some 

 animals to exist on a diet consisting solely of 

 prickly-pear (Coggins, 1913, p. 244), they do not 

 thrive, while on the other hand many die (Keys, 

 1908). There is no doubt that some addition is 

 necessary, and this is often obtained by grazing 

 on whatever vegetation is available (Scott, 1902, 

 p. 1052). Mr. G. Valder (1902, p. 62) has stated 

 that bran, chaff, or molasses may be used to 

 supplement a boiled pear ration, and then a good 

 fodder for cattle and pigs is obtained. 



Attempts have been made to produce an 

 ensilage in which prickly -pear served as a con- 

 stituent. A Mr. Boyce (1897, p. 261, p. 504) 

 used alternate layers of 0. inermis and either 

 maize or sorghum, some salt being added 'to 

 increase the palatability. 'The thoi'n^ became 

 softened. Dairy cows were fed successfully on 

 this ensilage as well as on steamed prickly-pear 

 and barley, preferring the former to the latter. 

 Mr. Briinnich (1909, p.p. 3, 20) examined a 

 four-months-old ensilage made from alternate 

 layers of pear and maize, and found it in excel- 

 lent condition, its nitrogen content being higher 

 than that in green joints, though this, he 

 suggested, was perhaps due to the absorption of 

 nitrogen from the maize. 



Professor Bwart (1910), in referring to the 

 work of Drs. Griffiths and Hare in regard to the 

 use of Opuntias in the United States of America 

 as fodder plants, shows the futility of growing for 

 this purpose 0. monacantha, the species natural- 

 ised in Victoria. • 



Apparatus for scorching the spines and cut- 

 ting up plants for stock fodder is illustrated and 

 described in the Queensland Agricultural Jour- 

 nal (21, 1908, July and August). Coggins (1913) 

 has also illustrated a prickly-pear torch. 



Destruction by Mechanical, Chemical, and other 

 Means. 



More attention has evidently been given to 

 the destruction of prickly-pear by chemical means 

 in Queensland than in any of the other States, 

 the mformation having been made known by Mr. 

 Brunnich in ofScial publications in this State. 

 His latest recommendations have been repub- 

 lished in New South Wales (1912). 



Mr. C. T. Musson (1911, p. 58) has stated 

 that prickly-pear does not thrive under certain 

 Australian trees, such as the wild apple, cabbage 

 gum, and stringybark, but becomes starved and 

 stunted. He also mentioned that seeds of the 

 white cedar had been scattered amongst the 

 Opuntias in India, where the resulting trees had 

 a detrimental effect on the latter, owing to their 

 broad leaves cutting off a great deal of the supply 

 of light. He therefore suggested that the latter 

 experiment might be tried in Australia. 



Mr. Darnell Smith (1913, p. 152) tried to 

 destroy 0. inermis by means of injections of 

 various unnamed fungi as well as certain bac- 

 teria, e.g., B. coli communis, B. proteus vulgaris, 

 B. lactici, &c., but without success. He also tried 

 the effect of spraying some plants with a black 

 liquid in order to cut off the supply of light. 



Bruee-Suttor, in 1893, gave an account of a 

 method of rolling and crushing pear, suitable only 

 in open or lightly timbered country. 



Mr. Valder (1901, 1902) carried out experi- 

 ments for two years. He injected into the basal 

 joints a large number of chemicals, includiag sul- 

 phuric acid, carbolic acid, oxalate of potash, ferri- 

 cyanide of potash, arsenite of soda, caustic potash, 

 salt, sulphate of iron, powdered copper sulphate, 

 and two proprietary poisons, one of them being 

 Murchison's Exterminator, which was found to 

 be so effective in South Africa. Arsenite of soda 

 was found to be the cheapest and most effective 

 of these injections ; salt had a considerable effect ; 

 but the rest of the substances caused only a local 

 disturbance. The most satisfactory result was 

 obtained by using a spray consisting of 1 lb. of 

 arsenite of soda in about 10 gallons of water, the 

 most suitable time to apply it being after heavy 

 rain. Cutting or slashing the plant before spray- 

 ing was not found to be of material benefit. 



Mr. Darnell Smith (1913, p. 152) injected 

 sodium arsenite, lysol, formalin, carbolic acid, 

 sulphuric acid, ammonia, a solution of copper 

 sulphate in ammonia, a solution of cuprous 

 chloride in ammonia, 20 per cent, copper sul- 

 phate, and 12 per cent, copper sulphate, the 

 best result being obtained from the last-named. 

 He then stabbed the plant and inserted a crystal 

 of copper sulphate, which caused the death of 

 comparatively small Opuntias in about four days. 

 This led him to suggest that the same results 

 would probably be obtained if the experiment 

 were tried on a large scale. 



An anonymous writer (1910, p. 195) men- 

 tioned that he had driven copper nails into 

 Opuntias, but that no serious result was caused 

 except the decay of the parts surrqundmg the 



injury. ' . . i.- t. 



The spray used in the erperiments which 

 have been carried out at Scone, New South Wales, 

 is made of 1 lb. arsenic and 1 lb. of washmg soda 

 dissolved in 20 gaUons of water (Maiden, 1912 d, 

 p. 40). 



