The Concordia sentinel., 1921-08-06

One of the most curious and interesting of the
cacti is the "mescal button" or "peyOte," which
is a strong stimulant and allays all hunger and
thirst and Fl tigue 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 as a cure for all bodily Ills and
a powerful aid to abstinence
In certain parts of Mexico, Sicily and else
where, the natives live almost entirely on fresh
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 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 a struggling shrub with
slender branches, recurved prickles, glOssy-green
leaves, and clusters of pale-yellow flowers
The prickly pears, or tunas, are abundant and
much used They are pear-shaped glObular,
weighing from an ounce to pound; red yellow,
or purple in color; and usually sweet, though
sometimes acid In flavor The skin contains clus-
Irritating taken into the mouth. so that care Is
required in peeling them. They are sometimes
called Indian figs Barbary figs because Of the
numerous small seeds which they contain. Sew
eral species Of Opuntia are cultivated for their
fruits as we'll as for their edible joints. The
flowers are large, usually yellow or orange, rarely
rose red.
and its relatives. This species grows to the
height of 60 feet and It's 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, a handsome
cactus Of the Southwest, are also much esteemed
either in the fresh state or preserved. They are
eggshaped, 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 1t 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-cact!' and these 'pitahayas" do not have the
annoying prickles found in the fruits Of Opuntia
"Garambulas" are the small currantlike fruits
of Myrtillocactus They are eaten fresh or dried
like rasins. The melon cacti produce a number
of small edible fruits resembling tiny scarlet rad
ishes or red peppers. The Mexican strawberry
found on a species of hedgehog cactus, is salmon
colored, two inches in length, and very sweet ir
flavor. II gets its name from Its numerous mi
mute seeds. Tetezo figs important to the natives
Of southern Puebla, are the fruits Of a species O
Pachycereus.
Although many Of the wild cactl furnish valu
able food for man and beast It must be ad
mitted that there is room for improvement boil
in the quantity and the quality Of this food.
have visited Mr.. Burbanks experimental ground
in California and fully realize the difficulty o
his task in dealing with the cacti and the mpOr
tance Of his results. His problem was to take
vagrant, fOrbiddlng plant and divest 1t Of 1t
thOrns and prickles, breed out Its indigestibl
woody skeleton and improve the size and favO
of its fruits
The fruits Of the Burbank creations are owe
three inches long, usually yellow or red In color
and have favors all their own, resembling thos
Of peaches, melons, pineapples, etc.