FRUIT AND FODDER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 615, 18 September 1909, Page 6

FRUIT AND FODDER.

- ■ • ■" *— -. —: —.• , : ■/■ ..". LUTHER BURBANK'S THORNLESS CACTUS. '. ; NEW, ZEALAND RlGfla'S SECURED. .■..Luther- Burbank, who has been colled ,"thi ■.Wizard of -I'lant Life," has. added anothei wonderful creation to his list of achievement 'in plant cnlturo by producing, after-. 6ixtcei years of persistent experiment in California, i thornless cactus. 'At first sight this would ap psar to, bo labour thrown awny, but when it ii explained, that the cactus produced* is a perfec fodder for cattle and sheep, that it grows witl .great virility on the; poorest lam), and tha it produces, a'fruit of a delicious■ kind, tin wondei' of the thing strikes- home., ' Indeed .the oreatiou of this, tliornless cactus may, frdii all accounts, bring about'great changes in thi stock-feeding methods of the world, and.;it adrtnt ;has. been hailed .in America as Bur bank's greatest:triumph. ■-, : >"..'''•.'. • ,v ..//' special significance of. the disepvery. tai been localised by' the .arrival: back,in !Welling ton of Dr. P.J.'Rayner.who has returned fron .California with the New Zealand rights ;o'f. th( new fodder and fruit plant: :Dr. Rayher telli a wonderful'story..;: : ~'/',' '/.'.■.•■: ."' "How am I. to-begin to'tell you ;abbut:thii .thornless ••'cactus,. and.' what .'it is capable. of i .When"l do, 1 you , will realise' how: absolutely foolish I felt when I met : . Luther Burbani .and .-learned'.'of the .wonders .of his genius, Can you imagined this: a. man ,who-has';fdi sixteen/solid years been .experimenting- witt cactus.-plants and has at. length- succeeded ;in ■producing.a variety, that forms:a:perfect;fodder, and produces fruit all the year round! First det.meteU you that the American' Government '.has presented Bnrbanki; with : 50.0 M acres.of. land in California on-condition 'that he plants it .with' his ; thornles'si cactus—not

I that the Government .can'touch a blado'of it i. -but,'merely; to,'assure, that 1 the plant, will' always have an/edstence -in.the .country. An i Australian syndicate,'"operating through Mr. E..R. ; Eeynolds,:of' Sydney;-, has socured'Uhe Australian, rights-for:, a-sum o! and the rights.for.cVory country in the world-have been disposed of'for' enormousstiirisv.Mr.'Beyi nolda .got/irijust! ahead of , ino; .-but. 1 ! managed t6;get,.th'e, J ;New;;;iSealaiidv.rights,-which. I'.ani: ' going to dispose- of. right,avrnySvLcon't handle , it; ■Tin;.' tooP-bus.v—it' is": a thing ■ for'.>thb:-;big ' or-the-Government., I -regard the ; introduction- of this cactus'nsyof natiohal importance. ",. •/.';'/• '. .'. ,/ -::- ;■■!;' ■',' '■•'. :." .'".:.,V,y-.'.. •Like a Fairy-Tale;- 1 -;',. .-.';■ ; } :7 V : ' x-':-,'\\- ! '?_ ;.''Nothing .in. plant .life''.wiiich-ijiaii has .'over' produced; has received tho attention or'excited the wonder ahdiiiiterest of Ahiericn, 'or,, indeed, ; ;,the .owdliseiliisbrMi' aaijhoe;,thisn'th6rniess. l '<a'c--. ' :t us. , ■•''lt'-'gi'ows'.iiin'-'arid'.countryi and .grows easily. .It; js: not'..p!anted.)'frbm.'- the .seed—all 'thatircfiuircs :to..be.;d6rie' > is: to out /off Va- leaf : or. blade p'f.jth'ree..inches'in, the ground,!in sandy.or stony' soil: In,'three weeks - ( i^'bears-fruit;;and anotherjloaf~or,two mit , frb.in-.. tho;'.top.' Tht'sfi;: inay" bo -'cut off atf.ohce.and'planted,:, so, that from one'leaf a. wholi) ; :acre- can be planted-in; three.years. 'The leaves or blades (Dr: llayner.'has two with' him) aro about 11 or 15 inches- long, about 8 inches .in .width ; .at the ,broadest .point,' and' about an inch in thickness.! .This ia solid, plant flesh, which cannot bo killed except.byitoaring' the'. : roots out otjthe.lgrourid;;The'-cactus ■is highly, relished by. cattlo, sheep,'; or ■: pigsrrthoy, fatten : on it, : : and - cannot ;get: enough'. of 'it.' And~ on. such' ground .'• as -would, feed' : .6ne! beast -■on-.'grass; twelveiheaa'-'would'live,-luxuriously^ ■;<-,-..-' ■ '■''■/''•'•'•'•(■'/C{*y\ , -'■l-'"..: 1 "V-'' - ■■i'-'; , '. v '.''- ! V' , : , ''

There is no. exaggeration: intMa—it haa ali f beetr proYed ly Burbank'.. • The. leaves i.are {■ Planted putm rows five::feetJapart, and in:a" ? or two.the patch,becomes a thick eliimp, 1 thetontre Cat without getting into 3 Dr. Ilayner 19 sura that the Bhrbani thorn- - -less cactus will; grow. on" the sahd-lands. along 5 the coast between, hero and Patea-that it will - ®? OW ij on i land , is beyopd dispute: ' -It should also flourish in the, Jramice wastes round r : NoHh ldTnd mo^ te ™" iil " tJlo ' 'cmtte'-of'"the 1 , A Tough. Product; ...■■■ • t 1 i'l tenacity to lifo are .wonderful* features, of-the. plant. -The two Dr. . itoynor, brought- frojn California • went . qmto yellow, he., states, when.' \ packed: '-away )n ; r / his portmantean;-but ' after.(? being exposed to the air for a couple of days, they. bocame qrnto -groon' i and planted to-day, though 6even • S 0 "™' tave e\ap6«l-smjie r'.these" paHicnliir ■ SantaL.Eosa,; .Miv i.Bttrljank's restate-.m-Cali- - foriua. and' .'ndt kill. ~ tuom., i uimneditttelyia .piece^is , cnt .or-knocked " troubled , y.ith r wild cacttts;in'Now.Zealand,'but'm^parts ■; Pf 'America.'it.is'a. noxious !weed;: yet; when ™drcachis.?,was .piantod'ialoncside l Burbanlts, ) tho; former; detenorated ■; and finally • perished. ' (^ ! '^ ar f 1 . 11 ! 10 Burbank- cactus rays ' m ' "hero .the,.temperature; does ,not. go"-below ' f S.V thcre ' m 1 1" tho ' 'Burbank cactus ' thnvo .•• wst jas ..•a.'.perennial.s <• Where, nothing t else-grows,,the;.year, neither mil Hho • cactus.,; But;;itni6.believed-..that; tho 'Bnrb<irik cactus may ,be successfully grown as' an aniuhl w lioro, the. winters are severely cold, if the rammers are: hot; and thore.is a growing, season ; of Six months or more.. Grown'to this manner,. , that is,, treated, as an taken up in the j full and plants saved for replanting in the : spring, it. is claimed by somo that tho Burbank , cactus will yield l 2s or moro tons per acre'-of ■ most excellent fodder with -little or no- irrigation, and without • any :care ■ to • speak of." • > About the Fruit. ; , J3ie. sanie' circular, or pamphlet, says i— ■ 1 UMie : ,fruiUiigabUitics;a'rq,,most,.reiiiiu-kable; ■ OU, somo rows during the-past season'on adobe soil,; yields of, 190. tons of fruit per' acre were demonstrated, solne individual slabs (leavesl boarins troa M, to;»(mitt ,tlwreoi

from threo to four fruits to 'the pound. The fresh fruit of these improved vanotiw is exceedingly wholesome. The largo amount of vcgetablo salts they contain aro regarded as very beneficial. The fruit can be gathered and stored hko apples, nnd will'keep in excellent condition from,four to five months." Control of the-Cactus. ' ' V- , l. The .Thornless Cactus Farming Company has possession of and control of all the Burb'arik er Perfected Thornless Cactus and the Burbank ts Hardy Hybrid, and is propagating these plants ra at Sagamore Hill, Los Angeles. None of the a thornless cactus has been delivered by the company or Mr. Burbank or. anyone else at the ia the ■P* m PU e ' was issued (March,. 1909), m with, the solitary exception of five loaves which ct Mr. Burbank sold to an.Australian nuiseryth man when, the company. was organised. For at those five loaves Mr. Burbanks . recoived; 5000 ie dollars, and with that money Mr. Burbank d, erected bis. new home at Santa Rosa, m There are several varieties of the thornlesa le edetus evolved by Mr. Burbank. Dr. Haynei ts brought home two. One is called the "Sonx- oma," and its analysis (according to the circular) is as follows:— 33 \ '.Water.'i •■■••.„• .„. „ 9168 percent... : B- Ash .;. _ „ ... L 23 percent.',' m . Protein... ; _ ... ... ■ .72 percent, ';■ } e Crude fibre: ... „ .59 per cent. ■; m Starch: .... .'«. ... . 231 per cent. .' / Fat •;;•—■,•.::: — :■'.~ ■' .— : ■09 / p?r cent.. • j ? OtheAWonders.' '■• ■:-• . .-. ■t ; ;''.-V .■ ,' , J . Whilo at i Santa Eosa Dr. Eayner thorbughiy inspected. Mr. Burbank's magio nursery, with i r his own hands he says he dug up potatoes ; from £ a • plant which: above-ground' was bearing ■ toj, matoes, and Burbank informed him that the j. potato was blight-proof. He, was. also shown p walnuts which had been .grown without the y_ usual partitions. There were other, morvebs in 10 plant life to bo seen, the telling) of which lt would take up too much' epace..".. ■ Cactuj Land. ' . ' ■ • Sincel)r..Kayner's- arrival in Wellington it is understood that a very large block of pnmico land- in the 'centre of ■ the North- Island has ■ been offered free for the planting of the thorn- ; lesa'cactus.Vwhich; it is expected,, will .make that arid.;territbry•. good graxing , country': (as- : .suming tha't the'cattle; of' this country/take kindly to,the-new:.fodder).. ■'-' -. ' ... ■■•;-.,. , .-: Some twenty thousand >blodes of the.new cactus are beinb .brought to Sydney for the Australian syndicate, by. the Makura, which steamer also.brings a thousand blades for Dr. Eaynex. The 6ale of'• the New Zealand rights • has-been placed-'in'the'hands' of Messrs. H. •P. Taylor and C0;,.0f Auckland..' / ~ i DISSATISFIED BUT RESOLUTE. ■'■■ ■. : .-■.',■'..■'./' .■-T^ —r-6; '~ '; —■'.-.'■..::;.'.-■. '..:. , ■■:■. ,i" /PIWONE. SCHOOL : ■/.' ■ y: ; .;' : Airo'.,mc^s'<'^pqiNraEpTs.'; : - •-, •'■ The practice -..'followed '.■ 'by,.;,the. Education Board in forWirdingVoneinome only to school committees in filling vacancies in schools was : discussed at last,nighfs meeting of the Petone ; School Committee. ■■".-'■. •. ■■ ■■'. ■ ■ v The chairman, \ Mr. ,D; M'Keniie,; moved: : >"That in the;opinion of the members of ■ the :Petone School , Committee, it. is desir- . ; able'to amend: the (Education Act so that : .; boards of education shall submit to com- ; mittees, for. choice ■ of . appointment, tho names, of at least, four, candidates for vacant , : '. teacherships, .whether such, vacancies are ;,created by transfer or are , new appoint- , .' ';:.ments." : v- ,-' ; : : '~, ■:• • ; : '■-.- *■'•■ ■.. i The Eev.J; seconded the motion. '-. .; "Don t you think it would have more weight :. coming from a school committees' association?" ■• asked, Mr. 'Abraßall. , -' ■'•■■■ < :.-. ; "They can do it as well," replied the chairman.' ..' : - :-. ,-; ■■"' '. ■'■■■ ■- • ■■' ;!.-■■;■ s [ The^Rev.: A;' Thomson said that he conld not allow 'the motion to pass'ih its present ; tormina' Mr. .Sierretfs' opinion, showed that the-board .;was acting nuito within,;its;logal ; rights.;-> This was,.he added, borne out by,an ; interview in,. The Domikion with tho ■ for Tho Minister ' also 1 told; the re■porter that, 60 far as he was concerned,.thero ' 'womd be -no alteration in the Act. In' view ol ttus statement, the committee was not actihc n a .dignified way. Perhaps itwouldbobe£ - 2? J° "the member for the dis- ' S.'u l I? r - ' thß , Minister for Education," and . that the matter' bo referred to the School ' Committees',: Association." -■'. i - , ■•■' ■ that-the committee i should ask the Minister to;amend the Act ■ He :r^li^ or f'^; tte^^ ■.^■-■■■"ThT^- tten ?» TCd ;' ?s W amond- ' : S?S, i ; i.' • • r thl3 .-co.n>mittee,' being' dissatisfied ■ : SSw \l .of the Act as. adminyiee from K.C., that the .board nW? its rights, sending'only ' .■S? e e Hl ?A ,n^»«>lW,:to,ast. .the-member for the S ; n t S ,, ] >rinß; ,% "-Matter -before Parlia- . menV- and, to ;use.'.his 'influence "to cet rpiil pomtmeut ot teachers recognised by law." ' As there might-be'less thin four applicants ine matter) then dropped.. ' :-. •■'■' ',''■,