[ 238 ] 



LXII. On the Treatment of the Cactus Opuntia, or Prickly 

 Pear ; under which it will perfectly mature its Fruit in the 

 open air of England. In a Letter to the Secretary. By 

 John Braddick, Esq. F. H. S. 



Read September 3, 1816. 



Dear Sir, 



In conformity with the request made by yourself and Mr. 

 Wilbraham, when you were last at my cottage, I now give 

 you an account of the mode which I have adopted for the 

 culture of the Cactus Opuntia, or Prickly Pear, in the open 

 ground in my garden. 



Remembering to have eaten of the fruit of this plant with 

 pleasure some years ago, while shooting in the woods of 

 Virginia, I was desirous of growing it here ; and knowing 

 from experience, that although the summer heats in that 

 climate are much greater than with us, yet the winters are 

 far colder, I was led to conceive, that the plant in question 

 might be brought to endure the severity of our climate so as 

 to live throughout the winter in the open air, and afterwards 

 to produce its flowers and fruits in the summer. Upon 

 consulting Miller's Dictionary, and inquiring amongst 

 my friends, I found that the plant would live out of doors in 

 England, but that it had not hitherto been known to ripen 

 its fruits when so treated; I therefore determined to try 

 what culture would do with it. Having heretofore observed 



