THE FODDER PLANT FOR ARID REGIONS. 
5 
provement had been taken up until some fifteen years ago; now agriculturists and horti¬ 
culturists in every land are deeply interested and the governments of many counties are 
taking measures to secure a stock of the improved Opuntias to avoid if possible the too 
common occurence of famines for the Opuntias can remain uncultivated and undisturbed 
year after year, constantly increasing in size and weight until needed; then each acre will 
preserve the lives of hundreds of human beings for months until other food can be ob¬ 
tained. 
SPINELESS AND SPINY OPUNTIAS GROWING SIDE BY SIDE. 
Though the wild cactus is generally prepared for stock by singeing the thorns with fire, 
yet this never destroys the numerous bundles of innumerable needles imbedded in the 
leaves and cannot always remove all of the larger thorns even. Those who have fed the 
wild cactus extensively acknowledge that cattle are often seen with blood dripping from 
their mouths, and that their throats and tongues become at last inflamed, very painful and 
hard like a piece of sole leather. How would you enjoy being fed on needles, fish-hooks. 
