THE FODDER PLANT FOR ARID REGIONS. 
21 
EXPERT PUBLIC OPINION 
At Home and from Abroad 
RECOGNIZES THE GREAT VALUE OF SPINELESS OPUNTIAS 
PART FOUR. 
Voice of the Press and Public. 
The following from the Journal D’Agriculture 
Tropicale, Paris, France contains so much valuable 
information that I have translated it entire for 
the information of my readers. 
SPINELESS OPUNTIA LEAF. 
Planted bottom up showing three weeks growth, 
indicating how readily they are grown from 
cuttings under almost any conditions. 
“THE CACTUS AS A FOOD FOR DOMESTIC 
ANIMALS.” 
The known facts—The cultivation and use of 
the plant in Algiers and Tunis—'l’lie thorny cactus 
and the cactus without thorns—Leaves (Raquettes) 
or fruits? The proposed international investiga¬ 
tion—Questions. By M. A. Jehanne. 
The Cactus or Indian Fig has a very extensive 
range. It is to be found today in America from 
California, Texas and Florida to the Argentine 
Republic. It is found again in Madagascar, at 
Cape Town in Australia and in the Mediterranean 
basin, especially in Italy, Spain, Algiers and Tunis. 
In these last two countries stalks (raquettes) are 
sometimes used as food for domestic animals, and 
its fruits are much esteemed by the people. Still 
more is it prized in Italy where the “Indian 
Fig” cultivated for its fruit, has reached a high 
degree of perfection. 
It is very desirable that the cactus should take 
as soon as possible an important place in the 
agricultural regions where prolonged droughts 
make it very difficult to furnish stock with juicy 
food where it is almost indispensible during periods 
of great heat. Many of our colonies would find 
it greatly to their advantage to cultivate the cactus; 
and every possible attempt should be encouraged 
to disseminate it and perfect its culture in Senegal, 
Soudan, the greater part of Madagascar, in some 
districts of New Caledonia and Indo China. 
The culture of the cactus presents, in fact, some 
great advantages in the dry regions. 
The cactus has a rare hardiness. In Tunis and 
Algiers it is to be found, to some extent, every¬ 
where, in the plains as well as on the dryest lulls. 
In dry earth, on the slopes of hills, in situations 
most unfavorable to almost all cultivated plants 
it devclopcs satisfactorily. It endures the highest 
temperature; although it loses part of its moisture 
in the dry season it quickly regains it when the 
first rains come. Again it grows vigorously in 
the mountain thickets at the edge of the zone 
of the olive where snow and frost abound. But 
notwithstanding its great powers of vegetation 
no region in Tunis or Algiers has ever had cause 
to complain of the encroachment on cultivated 
lands by this cactus which is like that produced 
in Australia, Madras, Cape Town, etc. 
The planting and cultivating of the cactus is 
extremely easy, and the expense entailed is not 
very great. In Algiers and Tunis, in starting a 
plantation, it is only necessary to place single 
leaves (raquettes), or better single leaves with 
two shoots, in a series of holes on strips of plowed 
