Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-08-04

One of the most curious and interesting of the
cacti is the "mescal button" or "peyote," which
Is strong stlrnuant and allays all hunger and
thirst and fatigue for the time being. The Tara
humare Indians and Huicholes Of Mexico make
cult of the "peyote." going on long pilgrimages
In search of 1t and employing 1t both incidentally
and religiously cure for all bodily Ills and
powerful aid to abstinence.
In certain parts Of Mexico, Sicily and else
where, the natives live almost entirely on efresh
cactus fruits when they are in season. They
grow them In gardens and orchards and often
gather them at dawn when they are coolest, al
though their temperature is always below that
of the surrounding air They are also used in
salads. preserves, picked with lemons dried fer
mented as a beverage, made into a syrup called
TUNA honey" thin paste called "melcocha." or
a thick paste similar to guava jelly. Even the
seeds are sometimes dried and saved to use when
the fruits are gone
The Barbados gooseberry, used. for tarts and
sauces In the West Indies Is apple-shaped and
decorated with small leaves or bracts. The plant
Pereskia aculeata, Is struggling shrub with
slender branches, recurved prickles, glossy-green
leaves. and clusters of pareyellow flowers.
The pricky pears, or tunas, are abundant and
much used. They pear-shaped giobular
Weighing from an ounce to pound; red yellow
or purple in color: and usually sweet, though
sometimes acid In favor The skin contains clus-
tiers of tiny spcules. or glochidla which are very
Irritating If taken into the mouth. that care IL
required in peeling them. They are sometimes
called sndan figs or Barbary figs because Of the
numerous small seeds which they contain. Sew
eral species of Opuntia are cultivated for their
fruits as well as for their edible joints. The
flowers are large, usually yellow orange, rarely
rose or red.
Delicious fruits are those Of Cereus pitahaya
md its relatives. This species grows to the
height of 90 feet and its trunk reaches two and
a half feet in diameter. The fruit is gathered
at dawn with long reed sticks armed with sew
eral prongs.
The fruits Of Cereus giganteus, handsome
cactus of the Southwest are also much esteemed
either in the fresh state or preserved. They are
egg-shaped, two or three inches long, green on
the outside and crimson within. The strawberry
pear obtained from Cereus triangularis, Is pear
shaped, bright-red, with slightly acid pulp, max.
ing II desirable in the fresh condition or as an
ingredient of the pepper pot" of the West In
dies Excellent fruits are also produced by
LemaireOcereus thurberi and certain other large
tree-cacti, and these 'pitahayas" do not have the
annoying prickles found In the fruits OF opuntia
aGarambulas- are the small currantlike fruits
OF Myrtillocactus They are eaten fresh or dried
like raisins The melon cacti produce number
of small edible fruits resembling tiny scarlet rad
ishes or red peppers. The Mexican strawberry,
found on species of hedgehog cactus. Is salmon
colored two inches in length. and very sweet In
flavor. II gets its name from its numerous mi
mute seeds Tetezo fgs. important TO the natives
OF southern Puebla, are the fruits of a species Of
Pachycereus.
Although many Of the wild cacti furnish valu-
able food for man and beast. II must be adj
m,tted that there ia room for Improvement both
In the quantity and the quality Of this food.
have visited Mr.. Burbank's experimental grounds
in California and fully realize the difficulty OF
his task in dealing with the cacti and the impor-
lance of his results His problem was to take a
vagant, forbidding plant, and dlvest II Of Its
thons and pickles breed out Its indigestibie
woody skeleton and improve the size and flavor
Of its fruits.
The fruits Of the Burbank creations are over
three inches long. usually yellow or red In color,
and have favors all their own. resewbling those
OF peaches, melons, pineapples. etc.