G 
THE SPINELESS CACTUS : 
toothpicks, barbed wire fence, nettles and chestnut burrs? The wild, thorny cactus is 
and always must be more or less of a pest. Millions of cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, ostriches 
and other animals have been destroyed by it. The best newer thornless ones will with¬ 
stand frost, flood, drought, heat, wind and poor soil as well as the wild ones and will produce 
ten tons of fairly good food where the average wild ones will produce one ton of poor food. 
Varieties undergoing Experimental Culture. 
Some of the species and varieties of Opuntias which are growing under test in my col¬ 
lection for comparison and experiment: 
Albispina, arbuscula, arborescens, basilaris, bernadina, brasiliensis, camanchica, dear- 
matus, Emoryi, Engelmanni, formidibilis, frutescens, fulgida (cholla), fragilis, galapageana, 
gummosa, humifusa laevis, leptocaulis, lurida, missouriensis, monacantha, macrorhiza, 
nigricans, papyracantha, phaenacantha, Rafinesquii, senilis, spinosoir, triacantha, ursina 
and numerous other species. 
Opuntia Tuna Varieties.—Amarillo, blanca, c.ardena (U. S. 10179), chavena, Colorado, 
crystalina, grande, jarilla, morado, tapuna, xoconostle, vulgaris and about fifty other 
varieties. 
Opuntia Ficus Inclica Varieties.—Anacantha (U. S. 9352), Arizaga (white), Arizaga 
(yellow), bianco, Bryant, catania (U. S. 3642), Colorado, gymnocarpa (U. S. 12402), 
Hayne, inermis, Malta (U. S. 9352), maurisi (U. S. 9850), mission, monelova, Myers, 
Skelley, Watson, (No. 1), Watson (No. 2), and numerous others, also Nopalea, Ceruus, 
Pilocereus, Mammillaria, Echinopsis, Phyllocactus, and others, with twelve thousand 
seedlings and hybrid seedlings from the best, hardy, most nutritious and rapid-growing 
so-called thornless varieties. 
Climatic Conditions and Geographical Distribution. 
lhe Opuntias differ astonishingly in hardiness. Some strains of the common prickly 
pear (Opuntia vulgaris) will grow readily in Alaska and several of the thorny species 
will endure fort}'' degrees below zero without injury. The best agricultural and horticul¬ 
tural species and varieties are not quite as hardy as the fig, yet are more so than the orange 
lemon, lime or common blue gum (Eucalpytus globulus). Old plants are very much 
hardier than the young, soft ones. The Tapuna strain of the semi-tropical Opuntias is 
the hardiest and bears superior fruit in the greatest profusion and when quite young. The 
Tapunas seem to be almost as hardy as the fig and will withstand moisture better than most 
of the others. 
