Notes on Agriculture in Cyprus and Its Products Part 11

Rovi is almost the only food in the form of seed given to ploughing oxen throughout the East. It is regarded as heat-giving and strengthening, and is therefore fed specially in winter. It is sometimes given unthreshed with the straw. It is harvested in May, when it is uprooted, made into little bundles, which are stacked together in small heaps in the field, until they turn yellow, when they are removed to the native thres.h.i.+ng-floor and threshed in the customary manner. The dry stems, etc., are eagerly eaten by cattle and sheep. The average yield is very little, from 2 to 4 or 5 kiles per donum. It is subject to t.i.the.

_Chickling Vetch_ (_Lathyrus sativus_)

The chickling vetch, known locally as "favetta" or "chavetta," has come rather more into prominence of late years, displacing the vetch (_Vicia Ervilia_) to some extent, as it gives a heavier yield. It is subject to t.i.the.

_Vetch_ (_Vicia sativa_)

This crop, called locally "vicos," was introduced from Crete in 1913 and has been found excellently suited to this country. It is most useful in any rotation, and has to some extent supplanted rovi (_Vicia Ervilia_) as it gives a larger yield. It is a most nutritious cattle food, for which purpose it is grown. When crushed and mixed with chopped straw it is readily eaten by cattle and sheep. The plant seeds itself very freely. It is sown about November-December and is ready for harvesting in about April. Seed is sown at the rate of 5 to 6 okes per donum and the yield is normally from 8 to 12 kiles per donum. It is a good drought-resister and needs no irrigation, and being a leguminous plant should be cut and not pulled up, as the roots left in the soil serve to increase the amount of nitrogenous salts. Being a vetch it is subject to t.i.the.

_Tares_ (_Vicia tenuifolia_ var. _stenophylla_)

This plant, locally called "mavracheron" or "phakacheron," grows wild in the Pitsillia district among the vineyards and other cultivated as well as uncultivated lands. It is of value in those remote localities where grain and straw are little grown and difficult to procure, as it provides a wholesome fodder for cattle. The villagers have now taken to cultivating the plant. It is cut before the seeds are fully matured to prevent loss of seed through shedding. The seeds and chaff are mixed together when fed to cattle.

_Milk Vetch_ (_Astragalus_)

This plant, locally called "arkokoutsia," grows wild in some abundance among the hills. When it appears above ground it is readily eaten by animals, especially sheep; but at this stage it is apt to cause hoven.

As the plant hardens the animals do not touch it, except when fully ripe, and then it is greedily eaten.

As soon as it blossoms, but before the fruit is set, the plant is gathered and tied into bundles or small sheaves and stored in a heap.

When, after a few months, it is quite dry, and at a time when other foods are scarce, it forms an important part of an animal's ration.

The plants are sometimes allowed to mature their seeds, and these, after being steeped in water for two or three days to remove acidity, are given to pigs, and are considered a nouris.h.i.+ng and palatable food.

_Moha, Sulla_ (_Hedysarum_)

These have been tried for some years with success and are gradually becoming known and experimentally grown by farmers.

_Teosinte_ (_Reana luxurians_)

This gra.s.s is one of the most valuable fodder plants with which the New World has enriched the Old. It is a native of Guatemala and is also largely grown in Australia.

Seed was first imported into Cyprus by the Agricultural Department in 1897, and since then the plant has been continuously grown in the Government gardens with marked success. It is sown in March-April in the same manner as Indian corn, to which it is allied.

If irrigated, three or four cuttings may be obtained during the summer, yielding 25 to 30 tons of green food per scala. It is greedily eaten by cattle. Some plants grown by the Department attained a height of 11 ft.

3 in. and of others which were left to ripen their seed, one had 93 stems and weighed 26 okes, though the leaves had begun to shrivel and had lost weight.

This plant is gradually becoming known and may be found growing on some of the more progressive farms.

_Sudan-gra.s.s_

Seed of this fodder gra.s.s was imported in 1915 and very satisfactory crops have been obtained each year since then from the experimental plots. The gra.s.s seems well suited to Cyprus and gives a useful yield even when unirrigated. Occasional irrigation produces a valuable crop.

Trial sowings are now being made on a few private farms.

_Teff-gra.s.s_ (_Eragrostis abyssinica_)

This has also been tried experimentally with good results and it is hoped that its cultivation will extend as it becomes more known.

_Mangold Wurzel_

This crop has been grown for several years at the Government Farm, Athala.s.sa, where it has done well and forms an important part of the cows' rations. It has been grown successfully on a small scale in some of the Nursery Gardens.

As irrigation, deep ploughing, thorough cultivation of the soil and special cultural operations are needed, this crop cannot be generally recommended to farmers, but it is being grown by a few progressive stock owners under Departmental advice.

The wild beet (_Beta vulgaris_) is a native of the seacoasts of South-eastern Europe, and the garden beet-root is much grown in Cyprus in certain localities, so, if carefully cultivated, mangold wurzel, which is a variety of _B. vulgaris_, might also do well in many parts and be of great advantage to stock owners.

_p.r.i.c.kly Pear_ (_Opuntia_)

The p.r.i.c.kly pear grows wild as a hedge plant in Cyprus. The fruit is eaten to some extent by villagers, but no attempt has yet been made to use the stems as food for animals. In Sicily very large quant.i.ties are so utilised, and now that milch cows are coming more into demand in Cyprus the value of the plant for fodder may become recognised.

Successful experiments have been made by the Agricultural Department in mixing the juice of the stems with lime for giving brilliance and permanence to ordinary whitewash. There has been an occasional export of the fruit to Egypt for consumption by Arabs.

SPICES

_Coriander Seed_

Coriander seed is the product of _Coriandrum sativum_, Linn., an annual herb belonging to the natural order Umbelliferae. The "seed," or more strictly fruit, of the plant is employed in confectionery in making bonbons, in the preparation of certain liqueurs and as an ingredient for disguising the taste of medicines. In Cyprus it is commonly used as a flavouring in cooking.

A sample sent to the Imperial Inst.i.tute in 1917 was examined as a source of volatile oil, and the residue remaining after distillation was a.n.a.lysed as a feeding-stuff. On steam distillation the ground seed yielded 0.48 per cent. of an almost colourless volatile oil with the characteristic and pleasant odour of coriander. This yield is below that furnished by Russian and German coriander, but is about equal to that obtained from Morocco seed. The results of the examination indicate that the residue has a fairly high feeding-value, and it would be quite suitable for the ordinary use of coriander residue, _i.e._ as a cattle food.

A sample of the seeds was submitted to brokers in London, who reported that they were very stalky, but that their value would be from 50_s._ to 60_s._ per cwt. (January 1917) as compared with 10_s._ to 15_s._ per cwt. before the war. (see BULLETIN OF THE IMPERIAL INSt.i.tUTE, vol. xv.

1917, p. 301).

_Aniseed_

Aniseed, the fruit of an umbelliferous herb (_Pimpinella Anisum_, Linn.), is grown on a comparatively small scale in Cyprus, the exports in recent years varying from 1,000 to 2,000 cwts. per annum. In 1917, 1,015 cwts., valued at 3,164, were exported, all of which went to Egypt.

Seed sent for examination to the Imperial Inst.i.tute was reported to consist of aniseed in good condition and practically free from extraneous matter.

A sample of the seed was submitted to brokers in London, who stated that at that time (January 1917) stocks of aniseed were quite exhausted, and the prices therefore much inflated, small stocks of Spanish aniseed having changed hands in London at 110_s._ per cwt. Such price could not be secured if any quant.i.ty of aniseed were placed on the market. The value of the Cyprus sample before the war would have been about 27_s._ 6_d._ per cwt. (see BULLETIN OF THE IMPERIAL INSt.i.tUTE, vol. xv. 1917, p. 300).

White c.u.min Seed

White c.u.min is also an umbelliferous herb (_c.u.minum Cyminum_, Linn.); an account of the cultivation and uses of this and other spices is given in the BULLETIN OF THE IMPERIAL INSt.i.tUTE, vol. xi. 1913, pp. 131-136.

A sample of the seed sent to the Imperial Inst.i.tute was submitted to brokers in London, who stated that it was rather small and stalky, but that it would probably be worth between 70_s._ and 80_s._ per cwt.

(January 1917), although they were of opinion that its pre-war value would not have been much over 20_s._ per cwt. (see BULLETIN OF THE IMPERIAL INSt.i.tUTE, vol. xv. 1917, p. 302).