Homemade slide

[briantshore]

Many years ago, my brother had a neckerchief slide that was made out of some type of wooden matterial. It was about 5 inches long, in a tubual shape, and full of natural holes. This was given to him by another scout. If I remember correctly this was a type of Catus?? It grew this way naturally, and was just cut to length, and dried. The inside diameter was the perfect size for the job. Has anyone ever heard of this type, and how and where does it grow?

Brian

[insanescouter]

Your description is leading me to think its the Century plant also know as the yucca .... http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/aga/yucca.rupicola3.JPG see the stick now dead coming out of the center of the cactus. Also as memory serves this is also known as the century plant and there is like a $500 fine related to them as the stick part only grows once every 100 years (will in reality its more then that buts thats where the name came from)...

 

I live in middle of the mojave desert and we have them here.

 

I am by no means a plant expert so I may be way off on what you are looking for, and some of my other info may be wrong to... wonders what others think ...

 

Scott Robertson

http://insanescouter.org

[ScoutNut]

While the century plant (which actually lives about 25 years) and the yucca are related, they are not the dame. Century plants are succulents while yuccas are not. Their leaves are more palm like. There is a varity of yucca that grows in a tree form (Joshua Tree) that may be what was used. You can also find yucca plants at most garden stores, but be warned, if you decide to plant one they have VERY deep, spreading roots and can be almost impossible to remove completely.

 

Could this have been something in the loofa family?

 

 

[Trevorum]

I''ll bet it was cholla. Google "cholla wood" and see it it matches wht you remember.

 

Cholla is also known throughout the Southwest as the "jumping cactus". Some people will smile indulgently, but they have obviously never been attacked by cholla. I swear, it really does jump at you when you''re not looking!

[briantshore]

From the pictures I found on Google, I beleive that Trevorum is correct. What parts of the country are they found in? I assume the South West.

[packsaddle]

I agree with Trevorum. I made a lamp using that once, still have it as a matter of fact, right there along side the trunk with the leisure suits.

Anyway, it really is an interesting plant material to work with.

Off topic, but it was mentioned earlier, the dried stalks from the Agave family (including yucca) make great spindles for fire by friction. You need to select the old flower stalks that are fairly solid (dense, or heavy) and not so porous that they just grind away easily. But, for some reason the density and texture of those stalks produces a nice balance between accumulating spindle dust and spark formation. Wow, I think I''ll go out and do this again right now, it''s so much fun.

http://scoutmaster.typepad.com/firedrill.pdf

[Trevorum]

You are right, cholla is common in the deserts of New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico.

 

It is closely related to the Prickly Pear cactus although it is tall and spindly rather than lobeate. Some species are so skinny they are called "pencil cactus".

 

Prickly pear is a friendly cactus. It gives us deliciously tasty fruits (I could never bring myself to call them "tunas" - that just seems wrong) as well as (somewhat less tasty, IMHO) edible pads. And Pricly Pear is polite 0 it stays fairly low to the ground and doesn''t jump at you when you are turned away.

 

It''s evil cousin, the cholla, however, is singleminded about stabbing you when you least expect it. Plus, the cholla is cunningly segmented so that whole parts of the plant actually stick into you like huge, evil velcro. And the spines on the segments have perfected the concept of overlapping fields of fire, so that ANY direction in which you try to pull the segment off of yourself results in some spines being pushed even deeper into your skin.

 

{shudder}

 

I hate cholla.

 

But, dead, it''s skeleton does make a nifty neckerchief slide.

[insanescouter]

We have cholla here in Nevada ... and yes I and some of our scouts have been attacked by it... and no swearing needed I know they actually jump .... all you have to do is get about an inch from it and it will leap from the plant and embed itself in you .... all I can say is OUCH!!!

 

Oh and if you want a painful cactus story .... I will make this short ....

 

On a campout the scouts were playing a game. One of the scouts decided to slide down the side of a ditch (about 5-6 feet) legs opened and slid right into a cactus ... left lots of needles in him ... some time in a tent pulling out the needles himself he was fine and joined back in the game ...

 

Scott Robertson

http://insanescouter.org

[Trevorum]

Scott, ouch! I imagine that most of us who camp in the west have cactus stories! We have one young fellow in our troop who shall forever be known as "Cactus Butt". I''ll skip the details (you can imagine), but will add that I made sure there was another adult present as I was tweezing out those needles.

 

Sometimes I think the worst are those microscopic glochids. It''s impossible to get them all and they just irritate you for days.

[packsaddle]

I''ve eaten tuna (cactus fruit) but I wouldn''t exactly call it deliciously tasty. Actually not much taste at all but really nice and juicy.

 

I confess. I like cholla cactus. I wish it would grow around here. I tried to transplant some but it was too wet, maybe I''ll try again. I''m not sure why I like something that obnoxious but there''s just something endearing about it. Maybe that''s why I can work with the boys without too much stress.

[Trevorum]

Hah. Trust me on this one: there is nothing endearing about cholla if you have ever done transects through the stuff.

 

Maybe you've eaten the pads? I find them bland. But the fruits! When ripe, they taste like a combination of Guava and Raspberry! You can buy prickly pear jelly. One year I made my own and gave out the jars as Christmas presents.

 

Don''t know about you, but in my unit the fellows don''t stick me with needles from behind when I''m not looking!

 

(This message has been edited by Trevorum)

[packsaddle]

No, they were the fruits but mostly in Mexico so there the comparison may be bad. I''ll have to abscond with one of the local ones to try it again.

Regarding cholla, I understand your feelings regarding field work. I just find myself drawn to things that tend to irritate people, don''t know why. My wife hates it when I say things like that.