Cattle fed cactus in 1920s drought

Be thankful you weren't living in the early 20th century… as a cow. That's because when drought hit, cattle were fed cactus. Here, you can see a farmer grinding up the prickly plant as fodder for his livestock - dressed in a suit and tie, as you do. In the 19th century cactus was introduced to our shores for use as a natural agricultural fence. Being tall and covered in painful spines, cactus was an effective barrier to intruders. But this move backfired bigtime, with the cactus spreading uncontrollably and destroying hectares of valuable cropping and grazing land.