East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-07-20
BURBANK TELLS
STORY OF CACTUS
NINETY TONS PER ACRE
AS FIRST YEAR CROP
Valuable forage Plant Is Described by
Its iscoveer-Thornless Cactus
Not Only Valuable as Stock Feed
But Also as Food for Man.

Not Only Valuable as Stock Feed
But Also as Food for Man.
So we'll adapted is the thornless
cactus being propagated by Luther
Burbank, to the semi-arid soils Of
Umatilla county, that the East ore
gonian reprints portion of an in
troductory article in Burbank's cata-
logue of this cactus just received at
this office.
1t is believed that the thornless
cactus will be largely grown in the
desert districts of the eastern ore
gon section and the following de-
scription and explanation from Mr..
Burbank will be of intense interest
to the readers of the East Oregonian.
Mr.. Burbank says:
During the past two years the Uni
ted States department of agriculture
has dispatched agents to all parts
where cacti grow to look up this mat
ter and last season gave some yalu-
able information gathered from those
who had for years been feeding the
wild. thorny ones to their stock with
good results when properly prepared
by fire, though 1t is acknowledged
that thus prepared-a portion of their
nutritive value is lost and though the
dangers of loss from feeding to stock
are lessened, are not by any means
safe, even by singing or any other
process, while many Of these new
thornless ones are as safe to handle
and as safe to feed as beets, potatoes,
carrots or pumpkins
But let it be understood that these
thorns are not growing on the wild
Opuntias for ornament any more
than poison fangs, teeth, claws and
stings are possessed by various ami
mails. They are for defense and
when deprived of these defences they
must be protected from stock like
any other feed grown In farm, fields
or gardens. Still some doubter who
has no knowledge of desert condi-
tions will say, will it pay?" Does
anything pay?
Some people seem to think tina,
corn, wheat oats, barley, cotton, rice,
tobacco, melons and potatoes pay.
How many tons of wheat or pota-
toes can be raised each season on an
acre of good soil? Yes well, by ac-
tual weight in the summer OF 1906 in
the cool coast climate Of Sonoma
county, Cal, on heavy, black adobe"
soil. generally thought wholly insult
ed for cactus, my new Opuntias pro-
duced the first year, six months from
single rooted leaves, planted about
June /, an average of an pounds per
plant on One-fourth acre, yielding at
the distance planted (2hx5 feet at
the rate of 1S0,230 pounds (over 80
tons) of forage per acre.
Some of the best varieties produced
very much above this average, though
planted much too closely for perman-
ent field culture; yet these notes are
of interest on a subject of which
little has been known. These Opun-
tias are always expected to produce
nearly or quite double as much feed
the second and succeeding year as
they do the first season of planting.
Yet / would not expect one-fourth
the above yield on desert soil with
out irrigation but would expect near
" or quite twice as much as the yield
mentioned above in very warm cli-
mate with one or two light irrigations
each season.
These improved Opuntias must of
course be fenced from stock the
most needed, and in countries where
great numbers of valuable stock are
lost in times of unusual drought will
be of inestimable value and will also, !
without doubt, prove of great value
in less arid countries as a common
farm or orchard crop even on the
best agricultural soils but more es-
pecially on barren, rocky, hill and
mountainA sides and gravelly river
beds which are now of no use what
ever.
The small, hard, Wild thorny cac-
tuS mas Deen q common everyday |
food for horses, camels, mules, oxen,
growing and beef stock, dairy cows,
pigs and poultry for more than so
years, though millions have died from
the thorns, yet, no systematic work
for their Improvement had been taxi
en- up until some Is years ago; now
agriculturists and hortlculturists in
every land are deeply interested and
the governments of many counties are
taking measures to secure a stock of
the improved Opuntlas to avoid IL pos
slble the too common occurrence of
famines for the Opuntias can remain
and undisturbed year
after year. constantly increasing in
size and weight until needed: then
each acre will preserve the lives of
of human beings for
months until other food can be OBJ
tanned.