PRICKLY PEARS NOW WILD IN INDIA. 
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loads of branches filled with the insect, and apply these to tlie Nopals 
{i.e.j Opuntias) of some other place/^ Then the ryots of Beiluru would 
plant new hedges of Opnntia ; and Buchanan-llamilton estimated that 
after three years these would be strong enough to bear another crop, 
whereupon other gatherers of cochineal could come and buy the rights. 
His last remark is most interesting ; he says the cochineal is the bad 
kind tliat has lately been introduced into India, and the plant is the 
Cactus that is aboriginal of the country.'’^ It has already been remarked 
that Roxburgh t\\o\\g\\t' Opnntia monacantlia to be aboriginal of India; 
and there is no doubt that Buchanan- Hamilton meant the same species. 
Seringapatam had fallen in 1799 ; Tippoo Sultanas orders to destroy 
the hedges in his State had been issued about 1795 ; the cochineal insect 
had been introduced into Coromandel in 1795 or 179G and in 1801 was 
being carried by cochineal collectors through the countryside of Central 
Mysore. Thus Wilks and Ainslle show to us that there were two 
Opuntias then wild in Southern India, which we have identified as 
Opuniia monacantlia and Opuntia DUlenUy — the first evidently the more 
general. No wide distribution of Opuniia iJtlienii could have taken 
place since Anderson commenced his experiments, especially as Opuntia 
Billenii would not obtain any rapid dispersal by the cochineal collectors 
to whom it was useless ; the conclusion therefrom is that Opuntia 
JJillenii had been established in Southern India with Opuntia monacau- 
tha well before the end of the eighteenth century. 
From reports made on the cocdiineal raised In India, it aj)})eared 
that at least four times as much was recpilred to give the same colour as 
the best Mexican grana fina. Therefore those Interested In India were 
not satisfit‘d ; and the result of their dissatisfaction was the imnortatiun 
of other supplies of the Insect and of other Opuntias, Further the price 
obtained dropped to one-third of what it had been, making the purchase 
un remunerative and compelling the Government to discontinue their 
policy, which they did gradually, taking only 8,U00 lbs. in 1809 
and 4,000 lbs. In 1810. 
Before the East India Company had commeiiced their experiments, 
the French had sent Thierry de Menonville, the King’s Botanist at 
Saint Domingo, to Mexico to obtain the co(diineal insei t for the French 
West Indies. Thierry de Menonville at the risk of being sent to the 
galleys,— for the Spanish had Imposed such a penalty on helping other 
countries to raise cochineal, — succeeding in getting together a good deal 
of information about its cultivation in Mexico and in bringing living 
Opuntias and living insects to Saint Domingo where they were established 
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