The border vidette., 1930-09-27
CACTUS VALUABLE FEED FOR
CATTLE. SAYS CORBlN

Southw west may be turned into
valuable cattle feed has been
perfected by w. D. Corbin, 40
American rancher in Chihuahua,
Mexico, aud agricultural experts
are hailing it as the greatest
forward step in modern agricul
ture for that great Area of North
America extending from Texas
to California and far south into
Old Mexico.
By Mr.. Corbin's process the
leaves from the cactus plants are
converted into succulent ensi
lage by adding an inexpen
-sive chemical called st. Martha's
sui phate salts to the shredded
cactus leaves as they are tramp
ed into, the silo whicn causes the
thorns on the leaves to become
as soft as tender tufts Of grass
| The feeding value OF the result
ing ensilaKe is said to be equal
to grass or corn fodder AID pro
vides ample nourishment for
stock cattle without other feed.
The discovery Of means Of
utilizing this ever prolific desert
grow th that formerly was worse
! than useless opens new posslbi
lities for the cattle industry in
| the great ssml-ar!d southwest,
a Department of Ariculture Off
cial said recently when visited
by a representative Of the CHI
huahua rancbman.
It is of particular interest just
at this time to thousands Of ran.
chers who are faced with the
necessity Of disposing Of their
cattle this winter on account of
absence of range grass due 10
the unprecedented drouth of the
summer and fall. Mr.. Corbin,
By series of feeding expert
ments, has shown that these
ranchers can keep their stock
cattle through handily by feed
ing cactus ensilage exclusively.
| For the average ranchman |
would recommend at least two
large silos." Mr.. Corbin said.
Then be will always have one
from which to feed while the
other is being filled. Unlike
other ensilage material, the cac
tus may be placed 10 the silo any
month in the year. winter or sum
mer, and for six months it
bears fruit, the prickly pear,
which gives it added feed
value"
Harvesting the cactus leaves
is done very rapidly. be said, by
men with special forks and long
knives who go over the ground
with wagons; in many cases SO
curing 25 tons of the leaves to
the acre. The silos are filled
With regular ensilage cutters and
blowers and the ensilage is
tramped into the silos thorough
ly by men wearing wooden
sandals. No water need be
added.
| The sulphate salt is added at
the rate of one pound for every
ton of the ensilage. The chemi
cal, working in conjunction with
the natural fermentation of the
chopped cactus leaves, quickly
reduces the woody thorns to a
semi-l quid state, making them
altogether harmless to live
stock.
Cactus ensilage will cost pro
baby one-fourth as much as
corn ensiiage," MIR. Corbin said.
since it grows wild. and by ad
ding cotton seed cake or grain
to the ensilage ration, cattlemen
in the cactus country will be
able to fatten their cattle ready
for the meat markets at much
lower cost than cattle in the
corn belt of the United States"
There also is the possibility of
shipping this low cost ensllage
in alright containers to the dai
~ regions of the North.
MIR. Corbin has found that
best results are obtained by Us
ing steel silos about 25 feet in
diameter and 48 feet high. This
gives capacity of about 500
tons and will feed 1000 head OF
stock cattle about Is to so days.
For many years the high feed
ing value of the desert cactus
has been known but heretofore
successful method of getting
rid of the thorns had not been
discovered. The Department
of Agriculture of the United
States, looking for the solution
of the problem, devised a torch
NTH which ranphorS cOnld hurp