420 
Report of the Assistant Chemist of the 
to be especially adapted to the soiling system now being practiced 
more extensively in the older parts of our country. 
June 2, there was received from D. C. Richardson, New York city, 
a sample of prickly pear of the genus Opuntia, both top and stump, as 
grown in Texas. Mr. Richardson writes as follows regarding the habits 
and use of the plant: 
"The prickly pear grows from 3 to 6 feet in height and the plant 
spreads, covering a ground surface of 5 to 12 feet in diameter. It is 
considered by the natives to be in best condition for feeding from 
. September to April. After the first of the latter month the sap com- 
mences rising. About August the pear-apple comes, which in itself has 
remarkable properties for fattening, but produces a soft flesh. The 
sample sent was cut about April 10, that is, the leaf, the piece of root or 
stump later, and no doubt the sap had commenced to run. 
My personal observation leads me to think that the plant is good for 
feeding any time of year, although the Mexicans say during the time 
sap is running it is better to cut off the young growing leaves and feed 
the lower portion, including the stump : in fact some ranchmen hold 
thatjthe stump contains the most nutriment. 
About 5 to 7 lbs. cottonseed meal is fed to about one bushel of the 
plant cut up in small pieces so as to destroy the thorn. This amount is 
fed once a day, usually about 4 or 5 o'clock, so the animal will lie down 
after feeding. With above feed I know of 400 steers each taking on 
350 lbs. flesh m 96 days. It is inclined to scour the cattle, although I 
have known them to live for months on it, there being nothing else for 
them to eat. Sheep will go three months without water by feeding on it. 
The past winter I kept a man employed singeing it over a fire, just 
burning the thorns off and being careful not to cook it. We saved 
about 100 head of old cows and calves in this way." 
Although having been cut some time, the sample was in good 
condition, but the w r ater was too much dried out to enable us to even 
approximate the amount contained in the plant as growing; there- 
fore the analyses are calculated for the dry substance only. 
Cactus or Prickly Pear. 
Ash 
Albuminoids 
Crude fiber 
Nitrogen-free extract 
Fat (ether extract) . . 
Top. 
22.79 
6.81 
14.99 
52.92 
2.49 
Per cent of albuminoids digested: Top, 60.(54; stump. 10.88. 
