METHODS OF FEEDING. 15 



nibble at the cut surface without serious injury. This practice has 

 probably done more toward the creation of impenetrable thickets than 

 any other, for a large number of the pieces which are cut off strike 

 root and grow. 



HANDLING THE PLANTS. 



The species of cactus which is fed in southeastern Colorado is one 

 of the so-called tree cacti. The spines are very numerous upon this 

 species, rendering it difficult to handle, so an ordinary fork is used to 

 collect and handle it over the fire. Some feeders employ" an ax in 

 cutting the tree down, but the majority of them use a fork for that 

 purpose also. A comparatively light pressure of the fork against a 

 large limb is sufficient either to break it off or cause it to split at the 

 crotch, when it can be loaded directly on the wagon which is driven 

 along for this purpose. The limbs break off very readily when the}" 

 are frosty. If collected in cool, crisp mornings, therefore, chopping 

 is not necessary, for a simple pressure of the fork will break off a 

 large limb. An average load upon a hay frame will weigh 2,000 to 

 3,000 pounds. This the collector can gather and throw upon the wagon 

 with no particular attention to the arrangement of the plants, as with 



Fig. 1.— A pear fork. 



a load of hay. The practice in vogue requires a great deal of handling. 

 The plants are first loaded on the wagon, thrown off in heaps, forked 

 over at least twice in the singeing, and then thrown out to the cattle 

 to feed upon. This makes not less than four handlings. The feed is 

 comparatively easy to handle, however, a large branch, such as is 

 usually obtained, weighing as much or more than an average forkful 

 of hay. 



In southern Texas the handling does not differ very materially from 

 that described for southern Colorado, except in unimportant details. 

 Here, on account of the peculiar influence of the Mexican labor 

 employed, the methods are often very primitive. Instead of a fork, a 

 sharpened or forked stick is often used in gathering and hauling the 

 pear of this region. In feeding to the pear choppers a stick is 

 invariabhy employed, on account of the danger to the knives of the 

 machine when an iron fork is used. 



In some cases a specialty constructed fork (fig. 1) is used b}^ the 

 freighters. This instrument has a handle much like an ordinary 

 pitchfork; the tine, however, is single, short, stout, and sharpty 

 curved, with a stout buttress or projecting arm at the base to prevent 

 the soft joints through which the instrument is thrust from sliding 



