Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-02-01
BURBANK ON Cactus
Startling Statements Made About
His ThornIess Variety.
GOOD PRODUCER OF MILK.


California HortieuIturist Says Cows
Prefer Cactus TO Any Other Kind Of
Foddsr-RsIievss Improved Species
Will Be Most Important Of Plants
For Arid Regions.
At the irrigation congress held In
Sacramento, Cal, recently Luther Bur
bank, the horticultural expert Of Cali
fornla, gave D talk on cacti, says the
Florists Review. Among other things
he said:
"One-third Of the earth's surface Ii
desert. Nearly the whole OF Australia,
except a narrow rim along the coast,
has been found to be almost useless
for any purpose except sheep raising
The cactus which was introduced
there and also into South America was
one OF the poorest varieties and was
taken there probably for ornament
on account Of Its large and luxuriant
thorns, and 1t has since taken posses
sion of those countries. 1t Is destruc-
tive to sheep, often getting into their
eyes, and when once introduced on the
land It costs more than the value Of
the land to eradicate It.
Fifteen years ago was examining
and studying forest plants for dry re-
glons to see what improvement could
be made upon them, and 1t struck me
that the cactus, II the thorns could be
taken OF, would be one of the best for
4 RaW fsotalnN
them from seed that ninety-nlne out Of
a hundred would be thorny, but once
IN awhile one would be found that had
few or no thorns | carefully saved
the seeds from these. and after grow
ing thousands and thousands Of seed
lings l finally produced one that was
absolutely thornless.
Nov, as l wished to get cactus
chat would produce great amount of
nourishment, Of course my hrst object
was to get 1t thornless and next to get
@ variety that would produce the
greatest quantity OF forage per acre.
That has been well accomplished. !
have a cactus that, set out In rows B
by o feet, produces 200 tons Of food
per acre. Twenty tons per acre from
beets, carrots, turnips or cabbages Is
considered a good crop. Some Of the
older cacti will produce as much as
hundred tons.
1.-THE cactus Is not as nutritious as the
beet, but there Is much more water In
II. BY analysis some cacti produce "a
per cent of starch, while others pro-
duce but the one-twentleth OF per
cent, showing the difference in con-
stituents. My object IL to combine this
great productiveness with great nutrl-
ton. and when that Is done my opinion
u that the cactus win be the most Inn
portAnt plant that there Is on earth to-
day for arid regions, l have taken the
Wild Colorado cactl, planted them
thlckly in a small bed aud given them
no water; then / have planted four or
Eve Of my improved eacti In the same
bed, and the improved cacu starved
the others almost to death. With the
same treatment they will grow three
or four feet In height, be In perfect
vigor and often weigh Ave to seven
pounds each, while the Colorado wild
cacti are drying up for lack OF mois-
tire. The ability Of the improved cactl
70 root deeper from their greater indl.
vidual growth gives them the oppor.
tnnity to strike deeper and take the
moisture up, while the common Wild
caeti cannot reach It and hence starve
to death
Every animal that eats vegetation
Of any kind Is very fond of the cactus,
and for that reason II has thorns. 9th.
erwise Il would have been either out
Of existence or II would have taken
some other means to protect itself.
Cows relish cactus and when used to
it prefer It to any other kind Of fod.
der. II produces good milk and is used
In the Hawaiian Islands and northern
Africa for that purpose extensively.
II people only knew what cactus Il
and knew the benefits to be derived
BY planting the improved sorts. II
would soon prove 10 DO the greatest
thing ever known for retaining arid
soil naturally"