| OCR Text |
Show Prickly Pear Is V aluable as Feed Particularly Advantageous in Times of Drought on Stock Ranges. (Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) A silage crop that keeps without need for a silo Is substantially the description of the prickly pear as it grows in the four states bordering on Mexico. It lias proved a valuable stock feed, particularly in times of drought on the range, such as may be expected from time to time. As a forage crop It stores itself, and the three or four-year-okl sections of thfe plants are relished by cattle. Variety of Cactus. The prickly pears are varieties of cactus, and may be divided roughly into spiny and spineless forms, according ac-cording to Fanners' Bulletin 1072-F, "I'rickly l'enr as Stock Feed," just issued is-sued in a revised edition by the United Unit-ed States Department of Agriculture. The "spineless" varieties are not smooth but are relatively free from spines and cattle can eat them without with-out inconvenience. The custom is to burn the spines off the sping varieties varie-ties with a gasoline blowtorch or to chop them by machinery. Although able to survive severe droughts for months at a time, the prickly pears require good water supplies sup-plies at some time each year. They do riot thrive under severe cold, and the spineless varieties, as a rule, do not thrive if the temperature falls below be-low 20 degrees at any time. The spiny varieties may tolerate temperatures tempera-tures five degrees lower. The best prickly pear region in the United States is in Texas southward from the Edwards plateau. Valuable as Feed. In times of drought the prickly pear has proved a great value in carrying herds of cattle until pasturage is revived re-vived by rain. Prickly pear is growing grow-ing in favor as a succulent forage that may take the place of silage in the ration, usually with a. dry forage and a concentrate .added in case of dairy cows. In Texas some varieties of prickly pear will produce without cultivation, but cultivation is likely to prove profitable in developing a greater tonnage of economical feed. Prickly pear is propagated from cuttings, cut-tings, and the cuttings are so bulky that freight costs are likely to prove excessive if extensive planting is attempted. at-tempted. David Griffiths, author of Farmers' Bulletin 1072-F, recommends recom-mends starting with comparatively few plants, as they multiply rapidly for transplanting. The bulletin, which may be obtained ob-tained free on. application to the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricul-ture, Washington, D. C, gives details of the propagation, cultivation and feeding of prickly pears, and mentions men-tions the areas where the different varieties way be grown. |
