Imperial Valley press., 1909-02-13
Possibilities of the Improved Species of ThOrnleSS
 Cactus,
Facts About Forage Plant Developed By Burbank From Wild Varieties of Unarmed Priekly Pear-eood For the Table as We'll as For the Cow.

"The best of these improved Spine less opuntias (cacti,) when grown un- der favorable conditions on good eul tivated soil in warm climate. may confidently be expected to produce one hundred tons of feed per acre each season."
 Tn the cool coast climate of Sono- ma county, on heavy black adobe soil they produced at the rate of ninety tons of forage per acre the first year, only six months from single rooted plants MT. Burbank says he would not expect one-fourth of that yield on desert soil without irrigation, but would expect nearly or quite twice as much as the yield mentioned in a very warm climate with one or two light irrigations in each season.
 In these statements he has arrived at nearly 200 tons to the acre, one. fourth of which brings the spinless cactus immediately into attention for its usefulness as a fodder. Fed with only slight roughage it is one of the best known folders. The prob lem of keeping a COW where the area to plant alfalfa is limited is undoubted- ly solved in this work by Mr. Bur bank.
 Mir. Burbank never claimed to have  originated the spineless cactus. He says he has been familiar for more than fifty years with thornless cactus of many species. He labored twelve years, importing the best standard varieties of large size, with fat, sue culent leaves, and in originating i'm proved ones from seedlings, etc, nor has he finished with his work, for he says hardy ones are being produced, which will already withstand or 10 degrees more freezing than others of the wild type"
 MT. Burbank says: Plant wher- ever you wish to have them grow, on ei,,,. ssssef fahd the steepest, poor
 
 rock piles, but their growth and sue. culence are greatly increased by good soil, some culture and in very dry soils by one or two very light irri- gations each summer By such treat ment the fruit is greatly increased in size and quality, and the slabs for feeding are doubled in weight and sue culence. Nothing responds more promptly to fairly good treatment. They will flourish almost everywhere except where it is too wet for any thing else to grow.
 The Opuntias differ from nearly all other plants, as the cuttings must first be wilted before they will grow, after which nothing grows so readily. When received place them in some warm, sunny place and allow them to remain week or more, after which they will readily form roots and start to grow anywhere, even on a pile of rocks or the roof of the house if you choose. When wilted, the usual way is to plant so that about one-third of the cutting is below the soil; they may be planted in an upright posi- ton or at any angle from the per, pendicuIar, it makes no difference to the cactus"
 It is impossible to tell when the feeding of cactus began in Texas, but it is certain that the practice was common before the Civil War The ues of gasoline torch for removing Athe spines of cactus originated in sTexas.
 It is universally recognized through
 the cactus region of Texas that
 Aplant has decided tendency to
 ,sfease the. flow of milk While feed ing cactus to'dairy cows and work OK en is common all over the cactus re- zion the amount fed for these pur- poses is insignificant compared with that used for maintenance and fat tening.
 There are hundreds of OK teams in Texas that work all the year on ra- ton consisting very largely of cactus all the time, and practically nothing else for months. The condition of the stock which have received cactus during the winter appears to be very much better than that of those win tered on good dry pastures. Feeders without exception make this obserVa- ton. Cattle and working oxen will eat large ration of cactus properly prepared (burning on thorns) when there is an abundance of the best green grass for them to eat