The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-30
DISCOVER WEALTH
 IN PR|CKLY PEAR
Texas Ranchmen Can Change Cactus Into Denatured Alcohol
THEY FEED IT TO STOCK
Steers Gain One and Three-quarter Pounds a Day at Cost of Three Gents a Pound-Plan to Use
 Portable Stills.

Fort Worth Tex, Saturday.-In DOT tions of West Texas and over q great deal of South and Southwest Texas the pdickly pear has long been regarded as an unmitigated nuisance, although during seasons of drouth the ranches have found 1t very good cattle food after the spines are removed by burning.
 Since the impetus given the making of denatured alcohol it is claimed that there is bonanza to be reaped from these cac- tus lands of Texas as a material for man ufacturing alcohol, and at several points in West Texas arrangements are being made to soon begin work with portable stills, which will be moved around in the cactus region as the supply diminishes. Owners of this cactus land are figuring on some big revenue when the alcohol mak- ing begins, and it is an experiment that is being watched with much interest throughout the state.
 The feeding of this prickly pear to stock has also been given new impetus in consequence of some experiments that have recently been made and the boost given the idea by the federal authorities at Washington. As a result of careful experiments it has been shown that 0 ration producing between one and a quar- ter and one and half pounds of butter per day cost about IS cents when pear, rice, bran and cotton seed meal were fed.
 Good Flesh Producer. Although prlcky pear is low in nutritive saIt ba oI,o nd oa steer feeding experiment shows also that there is abundant justification for the practices in vogue of preparing cattle for market upon prickly pear ana cotton seed meal. A gain of one and three-quarter pounds day at an expense of cents per pound compares favorably with the feeding results obtained from standard feeds.
 Two experiments have recently been un- dertaken, both conducted under the imme- iiate supervision of ranchmen in South ern Texas in cooperation with the bureau of plant industry at Washington. The first test was undertaken by Alexander Sin clair of San Antonio. The second was conducted by T. A. Coleman upon his ranch in Encinal.
 There are two species of the prickly pear recognized in that portion of Texas where the plant hourishes. One is small and prostrate and of no special value, the other has at least two forms, one with yellow spnes and the other with spines red or brown at the base. There is also another variety found in South Texas and known as the blue leaf.
 The cows selected for this experiment | were taken from the Sinclair herd. They | were Holstein-Jersey stock. During the l feeding period the cows were kept in sep arate pens and under separate sheus and | were allowed to remain in the sheds or roam in the pens at will. One load of pear was sufficient for weeks feed, and at feeding time the material was placed in a box and chopped with a spade into con- venient size for the animals to eat Tha l grain was fed at milking time, and a ration of roughage, consisting of pear or sorghum or hay, was fed three times n l day. Pear was also fed after milking morning and evening ana about midday. 1t was the purpose during the entire period to feed all the pear the cows would | eat.
 Pears Cost Only Burning. l It has been found impossible at this time to make an estimate that Is at all re- liable regarding the cost of this item Of the ration. The rancher gathers the pear 1 upon his land as he would firewood, hence l it costs him nothing. The cost of the 1 other items of the ration Is as follows Cotton seen meal, s22 per ton; rice bran, l SIS per ton; sorghum hay S7 per ton. One man can easily burn pears for a hundred cows and in addition thereto he can assist l in the milking. He will use about ten gallons of gasoline each day in buring the | spines off the cactus. and during the time | this experiment was in progress the price 1 of this commodity was 12 cents per gall 1 lon. The cost of a days rations for each COW while pear without hay was being 1 fed was 13 cents.
 The conclusion at Washington is that the Texas raiser has a very cheap feed at l hand of he will only give the matter the proper attention. Many ranchmen in that 1 section of the state have provided them selves with pear burners, IS they arc l called, which can be moved around over 1 the pear producing area and the spines l burned off the plant as it is gathered The slight scorching given the plant during the spine burning process does not seem l to affect the tates, for cattle eat it with avidity, and it is apparent that had 1t not been for the spines on this plant the cattle would have long since wiped 1t out 1 of existence