we should consider ourselves in duty bound to create it. By means of hybridisation we can unite in the same variety these three characters which are now established in three different varieties. Horticultural science has worked great miracles. In selecting the varieties most to be recommended for the abundance and excellence of their fruits, and in operating on our non-prickly forms, we have excellent chances of solving the problem. In any case, nothing will be left undone to secure this end in the Experimental

Garden of Tunis.

The information which we have been able to obtain, and the seeds of various kinds which we have been able to collect, will be placed at the service of any person who will simultaneously endeavour to create the variety we have indicated. The more workers there are the greater the probability of

success.

A kind of prickly-pear which would regularly give, and without expense, in the middle of summer, 20,000 kilos of fruit, easily collected, and having the nutritive value indicated by Wolff's analysis, would confer an immeasurable benefit on the whole of the Mediterranean basin. What would it be if it would yield 34,000, as is the case with the varieties cultivated by the Spanish distillers? Will persons who have any useful information on the subject, however unimportant it may appear to them, communicate it to us, and permit us to give it publicity?

Feeding Experiments with Prickly Pear.

LAST year Mr. J. F. Gorus, of Eschol Park, Minto, having occasion to get rid of a quantity of prickly-pear growing on the estate, determined to test the value of this plant boiled with meat and refuse for pigs, and, at our suggestion, took careful notes of the results. The plants were chipped down with a hoe, pitchforked into a dray, and conveyed to the boiling-down. This consisted of a series of ordinary iron tanks (400 gal.) set in brickwork, the lid cut out and placed at the bottom so as to form a double bottom over a fireplace 2 ft. 6 in. square, the object of the large fireplace being to enable whole logs to be used for fuel, and so reduce cost of cutting, &c. At the time the experiment with prickly-pear was carried out Mr. Gorus was boiling down a large number of sheep for tallow, and when the fat had been skimmed off, the plants were pitchforked into the soup in the boilers. They were then boiled for some hours, until the leaves began to peel, when it was found that the large hard thorns became quite soft, and the little bristles which are so irritating to the tongue were also rendered soft and harmless.

The contents of the boiler were then allowed to cool, and conveyed to the piggery, where the "soup" was run off into a trough, and the leaves and stalks of the prickly-pear thrown to the pigs. The effect of the addition of the plant to the soup was to render it of almost jelly-like consistency. The pigs devoured it greedily, and evinced a great liking for the boiled plants, chewing up the succulent leaves and stalks, and spitting forth the fibre perfectly macerated. A large number of pigs-nearly 200-were fed in this way for several months, and not one of them showed the least sign of internal trouble from the thorns or bristles.

Sometimes the plants were merely boiled in water and fed to the pigs, with the addition of just a small quantity of molasses. When treated in this way the pigs showed a greater liking for the stalks, which appeared to be extremely succulent and the source of considerable nutriment.

Of course, it was not to be expected that the cooked plant of itself would fatten the pigs, but Mr. Gorus, from his experience, has no hesitation in placing the feeding value of this plant higher than that of melons or squashes. The experiment was carried out in a very dry season, when there was very little grass or other green feed available. The boiled plants proved, so far as the health of the animals was concerned, an invaluable substitute for the green feed necessary to maintain meat-fed pigs in perfect condition. The expense was simply the cutting down and carting of the plants; boiling was a mere trifle, and there was, of course, in addition to the feeding value of the plants, the advantage of absolutely ridding a large area of land of this troublesome pest.

When the difficulty of totally destroying the prickly-pear is taken into consideration, the following suggestion by Mr. Gorus might commend itself to anyone striving to rid his land of this formidable weed. Mr. Gorus suggests that instead of throwing the plants into heaps and waiting months for them to become sufficiently dry to burn readily, an old 400-gallon tank should be procured, and the fuel that is now used for burning the plants could be utilised for boiling them. If there were no animals that might eat the cooked plants, they could simply be tipped out and allowed to rot. Anybody who has tried to burn off prickly-pears will understand how great is the quantity of wood required, and how readily an imperfectly burnt plant will start into growth.

No doubt many of our readers can furnish valuable information concerning the prickly-pear, and we shall be glad to publish the results of their experience.

Notes on the Growth of Trees.

POPLARS AND ELMS IN TUMUT DISTRICT.

IN February last Mr. A. M'Pherson, of Umbargo, Tarcutta, brought under the notice of the department some particulars of the growth of poplars and elms on the estates of Messrs. F. W. Vyner and J. Cooke, at Tumut.

The following extracts from a letter dated 22nd November, 1887, by Mr. Vyner to Mr. M'Pherson on the subject, may be found of interest:

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"There are three kinds of poplars growing at Tumut, known to me as the 'Lombardy,' the Black Italian,' and the Silver.' They all grow best in moist alluvial soil, and will not thrive at all in spewy and undrained soil. The Lombardy is the hardiest, and grows very tall and straight; in fact as tall and straight as a poplar' is a proverb. The Black Italian grows more open and more quickly, and is subject to the dying of the large branches, which spoils its appearance very much. I should fancy it is much shorter-lived than the Lombardy, and, from its appearance, not so suitable for avenues. Of the Silver kind I have not much experience, as the trees in Tumut are very young. I think, as far as my recollection serves me, that poplars thrive quite as well here as they do in England or Germany, where I have seen them planted for miles on each side of the large highways, and looking very handsome. I brought the first poplars to Tumut in 1856, some for myself and some for Mr. Cooke, and numbers have been raised from these, which were very small when they arrived here. The original trees Mr. Cooke got are still living, but are not nearly so large as those since grown from them. They all look healthy, with the exception of the Black Italian, which have a great many of the large boughs in them dead. I have measured one of each of the poplars at Mr. Cooke's, and also an elm; the Black Italian measured 11 ft. 8 in. in circumference at 3 feet from the ground, the Lombardy 9 ft. 10 in., and the elm 6 ft. 10 in. All the trees were probably of the same age, viz., about 28 or 30 years. My big elm measures . This elm

7 ft. 3 in. in circumference at 3 feet from the ground.

was a very small tree, easily carried in the hand, when I planted it thirty-one years ago. Finally, I must say that elms are far more worth planting than poplars, and will grow and thrive in any soil."

Mr. McPherson suggested that Mr. A. H. Chesterman, Staff Surveyor, of Tumut, who takes great interest in matters of this kind, should be invited to furnish further particulars concerning the growth of these trees, and we are indebted to that gentleman for the following communication:

"I have obtained the dimensions of certain poplars and elms in the vicinity of the town of Tumut, and herewith supply particulars of same.

"1. On the Petfield Estate (executors of late J. Cooke, Esq.) there are many poplars having a height of more than 100 feet, but the dimensions of two that appeared to me as large as any are as follow:

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:

"(a) Black Italian Poplar (Populus monilifera)—Height, 120 ft. 6 in.; girth (18 inches above the ground), 16 feet.

(b) Lombardy Poplar (Populus pyramidalis; synonyms, P. dilatata and P. fastigiata)-Height, 119 ft. 6 in.; girth (18 inches above. ground), 12 ft. 6 in.

"These two trees are growing 20 feet apart in soil consisting of a rich black alluvium, and were planted by the late J. Cooke, Esq., about forty years ago, as nearly as can be obtained.

"2. In the vicarage grounds at Tumut two poplars were measured, with the following results:

"(a) Black Italian Poplar (Populus monilifera)—Height, 114 ft. 6 in.; girth (18 inches above the ground), 10 ft. 4 in.

(b) Lombardy Poplar (Populus dilatata)-Height, 114 ft. 6 in.; girth (18 inches above the ground), 9 ft. 6 in.

"These two trees are about 12 feet apart, and about 20 yards from the bank of the Tumut River. They are growing in a rich alluvial soil, and were planted about thirty-six or thirty-seven years ago by the Rev. Mr. Fox.

"3. On the Bombowlee Lane, in the vicinity of Tumut, several poplars, planted less than forty years ago, were measured, and were found to range in height from 105 to 112 feet, with girths from 10 to 15 feet (measured 18 inches above the ground). These trees are growing in a rich alluvial soil.

"4. The measurement of two English elms (Ulmus campestris) resulted thus:

(a) One on the property of Mr. Mandelson was found to be 63 feet 6 inches in height, and to have a girth of 7 feet 10 inches about 18 inches above the ground. This tree is growing in a loose, greyish loam, with a somewhat inferior subsoil, and is about 25 years old. "(b) An elm on the estate known as 'The Hill' (executors of the late F. W. Vyner, Esq.) is 59 feet in height, and has attained a girth of 9 ft. 1 in. at a height of 18 inches above the ground. The maximum width of the spreading branches of this tree is 58 feet. It is growing in a fairly rich loamy soil, and a few years ago was struck by lightning, which shattered the topmost limb, thus reducing its height. It is about 35 years old."