4 BULLETIN 208, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
However, the results here are not quite comparable with those in the 
other cases, for this species was cut close to the ground. The yields, 
however, are good enough and close enough to those made by Opuntia 
gommer and Opuntia cyanella so that the species becomes one to be 
considered as an economic possibility, especially as it is much more 
easily singed than the native species. It also produces a fine quality. 
of fruit, but the fruit often does not set well in this climate, probably 
owing to the excessive rainfall which is likely to occur when the 
crop is in blossom. 
After this harvesting, all but the first two rows (a mixture of Opuntia 
gommeit and Opuntia cyanella) were rooted out. Those left were 
cleaned up with cultivator and hoe and kept well tilled again for the 
next two years. They were harvested the second time between Octo- 
ber 21 and December 27, 1911, or approximately 24 months from 
the first harvesting. (Pl. I, fig. 2.) The first row yielded at the 
rate of 191.088. tons per acre and the second at the rate of 236.286 
tons, or 95.544 and 118.143 tons per acre per annum, respectively. 
Averaging these, we have a yield at the rate of 106.843 tons per acre 
per annum of green, succulent feed. 
Late in February and early in March, 1910, a 6-acre planting was 
established upon an area contiguous to the above. This was planted 
on poorly prepared land, a part of which was flooded at times and 
all of which contained more or less Bermuda grass. For the next 
two years this area was cultivated, but it was, of course, not possible 
to give it the best tillage, because of the existence of the Bermuda 
grass and the yefractory character of the Cameron clay which ex- 
tended in a shallow swale diagonally across it. This planting, made 
to meet the requirements of a feeding experiment conducted by the — 
Bureau of Animal Industry of this department, was harvested 
according to the demand for the feed between October, 1911, and 
May, 1913. On account of its being harvested over the entire grow- 
ing season of 1912 it is not possible to include all of the data, but 
the weights at the time of harvesting were kept by rows. Conse- — 
quently, only those rows harvested during the dormant season are 
available and comparable with other figures obtained elsewhere. 
Although this crop can be harvested and fed at any time of the 
year, estimates of its yield can best be made during the season that 
the plants are the most dormant, and in order to be exactly com- 
parable they should be made during the same time of the year. 
Dormancy is only a relative term here, for while no apparent new 
srowth takes place during the winter months, except in heavily 
pruned plants, there is little doubt that they actually do increase in 
weight during their dormant period. 
As stated above, the harvesting of the 6-acre planting was done as 
the feed was needed. This planting was contiguous to a varietal 
