20 THE PRICKLY PEAR AS FOOD FOR STOCK. 



in the burner, which is somewhat more complicated. The generated 

 gas in this machine passes through a chamber filled with a bundle of 

 fine brass wires before being ignited. It also has some saf et} T arrange- 

 ments for insuring the heating of the oil and consequent generation of 

 gas, which are claimed to have merit. 



Both machines require gasoline for their operation, and are handled 

 to best advantage, with a good quality of oil and in weather free from 

 wind. 



Practically no labor is necessary with the burners other than that of 

 passing the blast flame from the torch over the surface of the joints 

 momentarily. Indeed, it is not usually necessary to do this with over 

 two-thirds of the plant, for there is commonly enough dead herbage 

 at the base, and growing up through the peai* plants, to assist in burn- 

 ing off at least one-half of the spines. Besides, the spines are com- 

 monly less numerous upon the old stems, and cattle experience but little 

 difficulty in eating the remainder after the outer two to four joints have 

 been freed of them. The process of singeing the joints with one of 

 these machines is therefore not a laborious or expensive one. Indeed 

 it is by far the cheapest method yet devised for utilizing the prickly 

 pear. It has, however, one or two disadvantages which are discussed 

 later. 



Cattle brought up in pear pastures do not have to be taught to eat 

 pear. They take to the feed very naturally. After a day or two of 

 feeding the sound of the pear burners, or the sight of smoke when 

 pear is burned with brush, brings the whole herd to the spot immedi- 

 ately, and they follow the operator closely all day long, grazing the 

 pear to the ground — old woody stems and all — if the supply that the 

 operator can furnish is short. 



PEAR FOR MILK PRODUCTION. 



It is universally recognized throughout the pear region of south- 

 western Texas that the plant has a decided tendency to increase the 

 flow of milk. In spite of the fact that the average ranch feeder claims 

 that pear is of little or no value in the summer, there are hundreds of 

 people who feed more or less definite quantities of this plant from one 

 year's end to another. It is always used as a supplementary ration. 

 Pear alone has not been fed to a great extent, for it. is recognized that 

 it is properly a supplementary ration to a more concentrated feed. 

 Mr. John Bowles, near Eagle Pass, has fed pear, with hay and bran, 

 to a milch cow for the past three } T ears and Avould not think of discon- 

 tinuing the practice. Some daiiwmen in the small towns where pear 

 is accessible feed it regularly, and nearly all of the Mexican families 

 who keep a cow in town depend upon this as their mainstay. 



One example of very successful feeding, where somewhat definite 

 data were obtainable, came under the observation of the writer and 



