MTSOUE AND COOM. 159 



' ■ ' '< 



But so long as barren land is occupied such is not 

 the case, the chief function of the prickly pear 

 being to assist nature in making unproductive soils, 

 productive. This it does, rather quickly, in a number 

 of ways, the chief of which are increased hygro- 

 metrio action on the surface, interception of n^ovabla 

 matter on the occupied area, and the rapid, ad,dition! 

 of a surface layer of vegq.(iable soiL When these 

 forces have been in action for a few decades, it will, 

 be possible to replace the prickly pear with a more 

 directly useful clas^iof plajits,, 



It is. not the fault of the prickly pear that it ha^- 

 been, allowed to, occupy areas, for which it is, not 

 intended, and where its functions as a coloniser, are 

 rendered useless. The. utility of the plant as a 

 fence for villages^, railways, and reserved forest, is 

 therefore fraught with great danger, as in good soils 

 it spreads very rapidly and becomes, what it already 

 is in many parts of the country, a dreaded pest to 

 the cultivator. The Malta prickly pear, which is 

 considered, a good. fruiting variety, hasorecently^been 

 introducd into local cultivation, 



Cialiliiwation-— Confine the priokly pear, to the 

 poorest soils where domestic plants will not grow. 

 Propagate by division of the lobes or joints of the 

 stem, every one of which will grow, indepen4ently, 



XXXVIII. ARALIAQB.^. 



308 Heptapleurum venulosiim, Sbbm. KUn. Bili 



bKutKala. 



Fi^—Bot. Plates Lal-Bdgh Collectfon., 



A small soft-wooded tree, or, whpn in coijt^ 

 with other trees, a larg§,glabr,oug|,clin}b^r witl;i glossy- 

 djgitate leayes, and oval, yellow, fruit. Occasionally 

 met with all, through the forests. UsQSiUjilfpown. 



QllltiyatiQn..— Propagate f ropa seed a^jcattiiigs. 

 Growth is satisfactory in ordinary field andagaBdfln 



20 



