The Terrell County Memorial Museum in Sanderson, TX, had an interesting article on the use of prickly pear cactus to keep cattle alive during a drought.
Prickly pear cactus pads are fleshy and filled with water, potassium and Vitamin A. But the pads have sharp spines, which infect the tongue and gums. The solution? A modified flamethrower to burn off the spines while the pad stays on the plant. From the 1920s through the 1950s, patents were issued for flamethrower designs modified as "pear burners". Since Texas has more cactus than any other state or country, most patents were issued here.
Art Eatman of Terlingua: "My grandfather used to tell me stories about burning prickly pear in the '20s. Evidently when the cattle heard the roar of the pear burner, they'd come running. Somewhere or other I have a picture of one of the ranch hands carrying the rig around with all the cattle standing nearby. Those were harder people and harder times. I wouldn't want to carry five gallons of kerosene on my back with a huge open flame out in front of me."
Bruce
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