Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-02-26
CACTUS NEEDLES
FOR GRAPHOPHONES
A New Use for WelI-Known Desert
Product.

Mrs Lucy Il. Yetter of 49, North
Twelfth avenue. Arizona's most en-
thusastic believer in the future of
the cactus for utiIitarian purposes, re-
ports a new use for some of the
thorny varieties, namely the use of
the thorns as graphophone needles.
Mrs. Yetter says the needles are
equally as good for the purpose from
mechanical point of view and that
they lack the metallic ring of the or
binary metal needles. giving a clear
er. sweeter tone to the music. She
is now sending them to a Chicago
man who has asked her to arrange
To supply them in quantity.
Mrs. Yetter believes that the cactus,
like everything else In the plant line,
is made for a useful purpose if men
can find out what it is. She now
utilizes the plants i'm various ways
for the manufacture of everything
from ornamental bricabrac to candy.
preserves and other sweetmeats. and
believes the day is not distant when
the cactus will be regarded as a valu-
able resource of the country rather
than "A drawback. She is as enthusi-
astic as ever about the thornless cac-
at her home. and believes that some
day it will be regarded as one of the
great forage plants of the country.
The following information is taken
from an article on the Spineless cac-
tUs:
1t can be safely said without fear
of contradiction that the prophesies
of Luther Burbank regarding spine
less cactus are now being fully real
ized-and that il is now taking its
place at the head of all forage plants
as a stock and dairy feed in our west
ern arid and semi-arid states, as
well as poultry feed and a luscious
fruit for our tables second to none.
1t is doubly valuable as such due
to the fact that it is adapted to al
most all sorts of conditions, even
where other feed or fruit cannot he
grown. Under favorable conditions il
will produce from 100 to 200 tons of
feed per acre. a ton of il having about
equal feeding value as a ton Of al
falfa Stock and poultry eat raven
ouSly of it and become sleek and fat
on it i'm "A short time. There is no
doubt in the remote past it was as
plentiful as the spiney sorts now are. /
but owing to the fact that il was not |
protected when spines it was sought /
after and ravenously devoured by rab |
bits. deer, buffalo and other wild ami |
mails then infesting our western states |
and Mexico, the native home of the |
cactus family Hence ii became al /
most extinct before its great value /
became recognized: and to Luther
Burbank, more than to any other man, !
should be given the credit of bring |
ing to the attention of our progress
sive stock growers and dairy men Of
he western states its great value as
4 stock food and forage plant Until
Dne has planted an acre or so of
L and watched the astonishing crops !
being harvested at all times of the
year. he cannot fully recognize its \
immense yield and feeding value as 4
with the same area grown Il
o alfalfa or other forage crops.
When the Mission fathers settled |,
n Mexico they found several species
growing wild and sent some Of these
nome to their native land, where
( found congenial climatic conditions
md where il has proved of vast COM
nerciaI value to both man and stock
n Italy the fruit is one of the staple
rticles of food Either cooked or
aw il makes one of the finest of
ellis. jams or canned fruit. This coun- I
~ was slow to see it's advantages
the people believing it fit only for
indians. This is now changed. 1t
$ being grown in quite large plant I
ngs now-one near San Francisco
hat is claimed to pay $500 per acre !
or the fruit alone. The fruit COM (
hands 10 cents per pound. wholesale. Z
nd produces more the second year {
han any apple or peach orchard ever
gill.
As a poultry food it is unsur- {
assed. Poultry will leave alfalfa, +
,ttuce and other green food for cac- '
US leaves l now have over twenty r
ifferent species growing on my eX- '
erimental grounds. I
The United States government has I
ided me in securing most of these
short time ago a representative of ,
he department of agriculture of a
D. G.. called on me and b
as certainly enthusiastic on spine $
.ss cactus lie claimed il To be the n