Bisbee daily review., 1908-11-02
THORNLEsS CACTUS WILL SOLVE
GREAT PROBLEM OF THE RANGE

duced or found.
There are many thornIess cacti
| growing in Mexico, and many OF these
have been introduced in the southern
| part of Europe, where their value for
stock feeding and for their fruits have
long been known. These cacti and
others from Mexico and South Amer
lea have been improved by Luther
Burbank, but all are semi-tropical
plants that will stand only % degrees
Fahrenheit, and would be killed in
| this climate by the first hard freeze
| in November.
It has been proposed to treat these
thornless plants like potatoes and try
| thei culture here. They would have
| to be planted out every spring, and
put into storage before frost every
fall. If Mr.. Burbanks' Santa Rosa"
cactus will produce annually 100000
pounds of feed to the acre as alleged,
and if a farmer had 100 acres of
these plants, it would require a frost
proof storage house nearly a mile
long in which to store them, and a
large number of men and teams TO
harvest and replant them every spring
and fall. That such a plant could be
profitably cultivated here Is doubtful.
Our native cactus is perfectly hardy,
needs no coddling and can undoubtedly
be made as productive on cur soils as
any of Burbanks' creations.
In searching for the best wild
plants we found place In the mount
aims where the natural conditions for
the development of cactus were per
feet. The plants were greatly supe-
rior in every way to anything we have
found. They were large feaved and
productive and some of the fruits
were palaable. These plans we have
transplanted to our gardens where
they have grown finely. 1t is believed
tina if by any mishap these plants
should be destroyed II would be a
great loss to he territory and probably
to humanity, for We have doubt if
such fine plants can be found else
where in the territory on which to
begin the work of improvement
1t has been held by some that
hardy cactus suited to our climate
can be developed in California or 9th
CT locality where the environments are
not the same as the plant must en-
dure here, but high authority among
our government officers assert that a
successful cactus must be produced
on the ground where the plant is
needed. A cactus developed In the
central part OF the territory could, no
doubt, be successfully grown in every
part of it since the conditions in every
part are much the same.
Cultivation greatly increases the
growth and output of the cactus. Ex-
periments made In Texas prove that
culture will increase the production
eigh times what 1t would be under
natural conditions. As the cac
needs no water beyond the naturas
rainfall, dry farming is best adapted
to its successful culture, so that every
foot Of our waste land even to the
tops of the mountains, can be re-
claimed by it. Il is estimated that it
would take about 100 acres Of range
to support the year around five head
of cattle, but under cactus culture and
feeding the same land would support
100 head, or the output Of beef Ia this
territory can be increased by means
of cactus culture in regions That can
not be irrigated, twenty fold. Such
an increase would no dcu5t more THAI
pay the cost OF culture a1t make this
land which is so highly adapted 10
sto,E raising of all kinds ,Is af the
richest Sc ates in he union