40 THE PRICKLY PEAR AS FOOD FOR STOCK. 



BEHAVIOR OF PEAR AFTER HARVESTING. 



It is very difficult to get accurate notions of the time that mast 

 elapse between successive harvestings of pear even in southwestern 

 Texas, where feeding has been so extensively practiced. The best 

 observations which it has been possible to make thus far were upon the 

 property of Mr. J. C. Glass. As previously stated, harvesting was 

 done very closel} T upon some portions of his pasture during the winter 

 of 1902-3. It is still too early to tell how long it is going to be before 

 the area can be harvested again. It may be said, however, that about 

 the middle of the second growing season after the harvesting there 

 was abundant proof that the pear will be as thick as ever upon this 

 area. It was observed that many of the old bunches were dead where 

 closely cut. However, the vast majorit}^ of them had a joint left some- 

 where which was growing thriftily, and many joints broken off and 

 left lying on the ground were starting new plants. It is estimated 

 that it will take not less than five years to make a crop which it will 

 pay to harvest. The pear, like everything else, depends upon the 

 season, and the growth is directly proportional to the rainfall. 



Several areas have been visited which have been harvested twice 

 during the past four } T ears, but in no case was the crop taken off clean. 

 The best of the virgin crop was taken off one year, and more was har- 

 vested two or three 3 T ears later. These areas, therefore, furnish no data 

 regarding the time necessaiy to produce a crop. The method of har- 

 vesting has a decided influence upon the future growth. It is hard 

 work to secure all of the old stems of the prickly pear, and they are 

 also harder to chop than the younger joints. If only the younger 

 joints are taken off, the old stems grow very vigorously the next few 

 years, and produce a crop much quicker than when chopped off at the 

 surface of the ground; but the feeder invariabl} 7 desires as much of the 

 old stems as possible. 



Mr. Morrill Porr, of San Antonio, estimates that a small area which 

 he planted several } T ears ago can be profitably harvested for dairy 

 purposes every two or three years. This seems a very short time to 

 produce a paying crop of this plant. 



OTHER ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE CACTI. 



The large economic group of cactus plants, which is peculiarly 

 American, has not received in this countiy the attention it deserves. 

 (See PL IV, fig. 1, and PL V.) Some of the species naturalized in the 

 Mediterranean countries of three continents form the main article of 

 diet of millions of people during one or more months of each } r ear. 

 Some of the improved forms have been introduced from the Old 

 World into this country. Throughout the Southwest and northern 

 Mexico it is a common and familiar sight to find gigantic forms of the 



