434 
Sup]^l6ment to the Tropiml Jgricultnrist," [Dec. 1, 1902. 
of the lattel terminates in a spoon. This imple- 
ment is the most serviceable of the three. The 
two spooup, when closed over a bunch of prickles, 
readily remove the bunch along with a small por- 
tion of the pulpy part of the leaf, It requires 
very little practice to get into the krack of 
removing the prickles quickly. It is waste of 
time to attempt to pull the prickles. The best 
way is to scoop out sufficient of the leaf to remove 
with it one bunch of prickles at a time. I ques- 
tion whether women, however active, can prepare 
125 lbs. in a day (as in the recent Madras experi- 
ment) of the pear which grows on the poor land 
of the Deccau. Three prepared leaves average 
about one pound in weight. I offered 2 annas per 
50 lb?., but there is no great want of other work 
here, and although several women of the Dapodi 
village attempted the work, none would continue 
it. The thorns stick in their cloths, and until the 
worker gets expert, the work is disagreeable. 
A garden hand at Rs. 8 per month removed the 
prickles from forty-five lb?, of pear per day, 
chopped up the prepared leaf fine, and gave it to 
the three cattle at two meals — the first meal at 7 
o'clock in the morning, second at 5 o'clock in the 
evening — 71 lbs. to each animal each time. A 
pinch of salt, and during the first part of the 
experiment, If lbs. of mixed dk\ husk and bran 
was allowed daily to each animal. This was 
mixed well through the pear. When the pear 
prepared in this manner was all eaten the cattle 
were each allowed 4 lbs. of hay, given at about 
7 o'clock in the evening. They were kept tied 
up out of sight of the other cattle. Water was 
offered in a bucket three times a day. One 
buffalo took to the food at once. All ate it 
greedily after two daj's, and thereafter up to the 
end of the experiment. During the first four days 
no hay was given. Afterwards 4 lbs. per day 
was allowed to each animal. Not a scrap of hay 
or prepaied food was wasted. Everything was 
eaten up clean. Every second day the cattle were 
taken out for a little exercise. During the last 
fortnight they drank a good deal of water owing 
to the heat of the weather. 
The attendant had to walk about a mile to get 
the pear. He prepured it where it grew, taking 
from 6 to 7 hours to get the 45 lbs. 
During the last week of the experiment the 
allowance of bran and chuni was discontinued, 
only a pinch of salt being added tD the prepared 
pear; the cattle still continued to eat it greedily. 
On the 28th March the cattle were weighed. 
There was an aggregate increase of 41 lbs., two 
increasing little in weight, while the third had 
thriven considerably, I do not attach much 
importance to the increase in weight, because the 
cattle were drinking a good deal more water 
latterly than they did to begin with ; but as 
one intimately acquainted with the appearance of 
farm stock, 1 can without any hesitation say that 
the three animals had the appearance of thriving 
throughout the experiment. 
Regarding the rate at which prickly-pear can 
be prepared as cattle food, I have made careful 
experiment, and with leaves weighing 3 to 1 the 
lb., 1 lb. in 7i minutes is good practice, an(} 70 
Jbei j>w day very good worki 
During the first few days of the experiment, 
while the cattle were fed on prickly-pear without 
hay, it was noticeable that all three animals were 
inclined to scour. The inference is that prickly- 
pear alone is a too laxative food. 
Two days after the experiment was completed, 
the same cattle were offered a feed each of prickly- 
pear at the same time as the evening allowance of 
hay was given. They ate the pear but preferred 
the hay. 
POULTRY PICKINGS. 
(From Various Sources.) 
Mr, VanDresser, the well-known poultry expert, 
is reported bo have made a discovery of the 
greatest interest to the poultry business, namely, 
how to make hens moult out of season. Shortly 
explained the process is as follows : — For two 
weeks the hens are shut up in their pens and fed 
only one quarter of a full ration. This reduces 
their flesh. Then they are let out into the sun- 
shine and open air, and fed with a rush on the best 
possible food, all they can eat, peas, corn, &c., but 
particularly sunflower seed. This soon loosens up 
the old feathers, and they drop off so fast as to 
leave the hens almost bare. Under this heavy 
feeding the birds soon take on new plumage and 
the reddening of the comb which gives promise of 
fruitfulness. 
If your fowls or chickens look mopy or are no* 
doing well give them an occassional dose of Epsom 
salts. This is good for bowel trouble in young 
chicks, for hens that have had too much grain and 
not enough green stuff and meat food, and for 
over-fat hens. A tea spoonf ull makes a full dose for 
two hens, si.t half-grown chicks, ten chicks from 
one to two months old, or twenty chicks a week 
or two old. The best way to give the salts is to 
dissolve it in the water you mix the soft food with. 
It cools the blood, soothes the irritated coat of the 
stomach where the bowel trouble is presented, and 
gives tone to the system. 
Two troublesome intestinal poultry worms are 
the white worms scientifically known as Seterakis 
pxpillosa and inflexa. This tiny.'white or creamy 
creatures chiefly occur in the duodenum in groups 
of 10 or 15, some^mes forming a plug which 
blocks up the alimentary canal. Affected birds have 
usually ravenous appetites and yet keep losing 
condition. In length the worms vary from 5 to f 
in. in the case of S. papillosa and from 1 to 4 in. 
in H. inflexa- The eggs or embryos are probaby 
taken in with dirty water but also off the ground. 
Diseased birds. should be isolated and the worms 
expelled by a dose of thymol, one grain made up 
in a dough pill and given morning and night. 
Sometimes 3 grains santonine are used f or 
expelling the worms. 
Nothing can completely take the place of meat 
or milk in feeding poultry. Milk when given 
liberally, is a good substitute for meat, but no 
combination of grains or meals will take the place 
of either, All table scraps, offal, &c., are quickly 
