10 THE PKICKLY PEAR AS FOOD FOR STOCK. 



It is to meet the requirements for an emergency ration for these 

 seasons of short feed and to call attention to the varied uses of the 

 cacti that this bulletin is published; and it is hoped that it will answer, 

 in a preliminary way, many questions which are asked of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture each year regarding cacti. 



The various species of cactus which occur in the arid and semiarid 

 portions of the country are well adapted to the purpose of feeding 

 when properly prepared, and furnish a feed which, although low in 

 nutritive value, is inexpensive and will tide the stock over a period of 

 shortage. 



This bulletin is based upon personal observations and the experience 

 of ranchers, and was instigated by the numerous inquiries and pressing- 

 demands which have been apparent for the past few months. This 

 publication is a preliminary one, giving a general exposition of the 

 subject. It will be followed later b} T several technical treatises, which 

 are now in process of preparation, dealing with carefully planned 

 experiments upon the different phases of the subject. Here techni- 

 calities are avoided, and the aim in writing has been to include such 

 information as has been secured b} T field observations and inquiry 

 among ranchers, dairymen, teamsters, and others having experience 

 in the premises. The paper is therefore intended to be popular, sug- 

 gestive, and preliminary to more technical publications which are to 

 follow. 



HISTORY. 



It is impossible to tell where or when the feeding of pear began in 

 Texas, but it is certain that the practice was common several } T ears 

 before the civil war. There are people now living who can remember 

 distinctly its use during the droughts of 1857 and 1859. From this 

 time until long after the war there were very extensive freight trans- 

 portations carried on between Brownsville, Indianola, San Antonio, 

 Eagle Pass, etc. Teaming was especiall} T heavy in this region during 

 the civil war, when Brownsville and Matamoras, Mexico, became 

 bustling, flourishing cities, built up by the teaming trade, which 

 brought the products, especially cotton, of the Confederate States 

 to this point for export — at times the safest outlet for the products 

 of the South. By far the greatest amount of freighting was done with 

 oxen. At that time corn was not produced in any appreciable quan- 

 tities, and any other grain was prohibitive in price. Upon their long 

 hauls the cattle got no feed but that produced b} T the country through 

 which they passed. This was meager in localities and often poor 

 everywhere. It is said that the teamster considered himself for- 

 tunate when there was pear to be had, and there was plenty of it 

 on many of the roads. The teamsters at this time scorched the pear 

 by burning brush, and chopped or slashed it with ax, spade, or 



