Notes on Agriculture in Cyprus and Its Products Part 14

The exports represent about three-fourths of the total production.

There should be a good opening for machinery for extracting the oil.

The cotton is locally graded into (1) best, (2) medium, and (3) poor, all being American varieties. The first quality is the "wet" or irrigated cotton. The second quality is grown mostly in the Messaoria plain and at Dali, Nisou, Potamia, Kythrea, where it is partly irrigated by river floods. The third quality is "dry" and comes princ.i.p.ally from the Karpas. On the Ma.r.s.eilles market the second quality has a value 3 to 4 per cent., and the third quality 8 to 10 per cent. less than the first quality. The first quality ranks in price at Ma.r.s.eilles on about a level with American cotton.

For some ten years Greece has taken the leading place as an importer.

Before the war, Cyprus cotton went chiefly to Ma.r.s.eilles and Greece, some also to Trieste. Only a very insignificant quant.i.ty goes to England. The freight to Ma.r.s.eilles was about 25_s._ per ton, to Trieste about 15_s._ per ton, while to England it averaged 50_s._ per ton. The market prices at Ma.r.s.eilles and Trieste were approximately the same, but at Ma.r.s.eilles they were subject to a discount of 1-1/2 per cent., whereas at Trieste a discount of 3 to 4 per cent. was made. The Trieste market, being small, was subject to sudden fluctuations and was therefore risky and less favoured by Cypriot exporters.

For several reasons the Liverpool market has not been so attractive as that of Ma.r.s.eilles. At Liverpool and Manchester quant.i.ties of not less than, say, 100 bales are preferred, whereas Ma.r.s.eilles would take smaller consignments of 20 or 40 bales. Uniformity of type is required by Manchester spinners, whereas the French factories are more ready to handle different types, including the shorter staples. Cyprus merchants make no distinction as regards the varieties of cotton, whether "Orleans," "Sea Island" or other kinds, and indeed they are scarcely competent to do so, as this requires special knowledge and experience.

They buy in small quant.i.ties from many peasant growers and mix the produce in order to make up a fair consignment.

In normal times there was always the further difficulty of obtaining direct transport to England, whereas to Ma.r.s.eilles, Trieste and also to Greece the opportunities were more frequent.

Since the war Greece has become much the largest buyer. Owing to shortage of cotton on the Greek market this commodity was purchased from Cyprus rather than from Liverpool, as the freight was lower and war risks much less; apart from the almost impossibility of obtaining tonnage. It was the practice before the war for Cypriot merchants to sell c.i.f. Piraeus, but they could not continue this under recent conditions and now sell f.o.b. Cyprus, and this practice is likely to continue. This f.o.b. Cyprus price has lately been about the same as would ordinarily be obtained for c.i.f. Liverpool. Greece has many small filatures willing to take consignments of even 10 bales, and the s.h.i.+pment direct or via Alexandria is easier.

A Cyprus bale weighs about 150 okes.

The following figures, showing average annual exports of raw cotton at various pre-war periods, indicate the course of the cultivation:

Period. Average Quant.i.ty. Average Value.

_Cwts._

1880-89 . . . 68,410 147,683 1890-99 . . . 57,291 91,812 1900-09 . . . 41,121 92,939 1910-17 . . . 68,384 213,275

Prices have varied, as is shown by the values of the following record years:

Quant.i.ty. Value. Average price.

_Cwts._

1885 (highest export on record) 14,276 29,567 2 1 5 1886 (2nd ditto) . . . 13,887 26,535 1 16 11 1912 (3rd ditto) . . . 13,808 40,085 2 18 0 1913 (4th ditto) . . . 13,444 40,693 3 0 6 1884 (5th ditto) . . . 12,227 26,874 2 3 1

In 1917 there were 13,685 donums under cotton cultivation.

It is usual in some parts of the Island, especially in the Kyrenia district, to leave the crop in the ground for two or three years. This method of cropping is locally known as "palia" or old. It is found profitable to leave the cotton plants two or three years on irrigated land. The second-year crop usually gives the heaviest yield.

The average yield of unginned cotton on irrigated land is about 120 okes (3 cwts.) per scala; but as much as 250 okes can be obtained. "Wet"

cotton, best quality, yields 1 oke of lint from 3 okes of unginned cotton, and "dry" cotton yields about 1 oke of lint from 3-1/3 okes of unginned cotton.

There is much land well suited to cotton which for lack of water cannot be utilised. If artesian water could be found, there would be a very considerable extension of this cultivation.

There is a well-equipped little cotton factory at Famagusta, and excellent cotton fabrics are made, especially in Nicosia neighbourhood, Lapithos and Karavas, Lefkonico and Gypsos and in the Karpas. These are known under the names of "alaja" and "dimita." They are mostly of good patterns, the material is strong and wears well, and is being largely used, not only by the peasantry, but also for making men's suits and ladies' skirts and cloths.

An interesting article on the Cyprus Cotton Industry is to be found in the BULLETIN OF THE IMPERIAL INSt.i.tUTE, vol. iii. 1905, pp. 327-334.

_Flax and Linseed_

The cultivation of flax (_Linum usitatissimum_), which began to develop some twenty years ago, has declined during the last ten years or so. The reasons for this are that it is considered to exhaust the soil, the later handling of the crop for fibre is troublesome and the market is liable to rather violent fluctuations. It grows well in the Messaoria plain, and when chemical manures are more generally used it may come more into favour. Attempts have been made to improve the quality by the introduction of Riga flax seed, but so far without success. There is a small export of linseed, but owing to the primitive methods of winnowing and cleaning it does not fetch the best price. The quality of the cleaned seed is excellent. Knowledge and care are needed in picking the crop at exactly the right time. The imperfect methods of general cultivation prevent the uniform ripening of the seed, and this means an uneven and unsatisfactory sample. Defective screening accounts for the presence in excess of foreign substances, weed seeds, etc. These difficulties are capable of remedy, and it may reasonably be hoped that when once overcome the cultivation will be extended.

In Cyprus the cultivation is the same whether intended for seed or fibre, and consequently the latter is of an inferior quality, as is indicated in a report on Cyprus flax published in the BULLETIN OF THE IMPERIAL INSt.i.tUTE (vol. vi. 1908, p. 4). Seed is sown in November-December at the rate of 17 to 22 okes per donum. Retting is done by steeping in the large stone irrigation tanks which are a feature on most farms. In the Messaoria, about Ano and Kato Zodia, where flax is commonly grown, the plant is retted in the river Ovgos, which retains sufficient water usually until August. The yield per donum varies from 100 to 300 okes of seed, 80 to 100 okes of fibre and 50 to 70 okes of tow.

_Wool_

The exports of wool for the three last pre-war years were as follows:

Year. Quant.i.ty. Value.

_Cwts._ 1911 . . . . 5,535 13,452 1912 . . . . 4,627 11,362 1913 . . . . 4,707 12,181

This went chiefly to France, and next, though in much smaller quant.i.ties, to Italy.

The wool is of moderate quality; this is partly due to the breed of sheep and partly to the conditions under which they are kept. Attempts have been made by the Agricultural Department to impress on the native breeders the necessity of keeping the sheep well fed, and experiments have been carried out at the Athala.s.sa Experimental Farm for the purpose of demonstrating the advantages of careful rearing.

Two fleeces from the Athala.s.sa Farm were sent to the Imperial Inst.i.tute in May 1912, for examination and commercial valuation. One was the fleece of a yearling ram. This was clean, fairly soft and almost white.

The other was the fleece of a yearling ewe. This was clean, slightly harsh and almost white, but was slightly coa.r.s.er than that of the ram.

These fleeces were considered by a firm of London brokers as an excellent cla.s.s of carpet wool and likely to meet always with a ready sale in the London market (see BULLETIN OF THE IMPERIAL INSt.i.tUTE, vol.

x. 1912, p. 537). A similar opinion was expressed immediately before the war (July 1914) by a London firm to whom two bales of Cyprus wool had been sent, of which a part had been purchased in the bazaar and washed and trimmed by the Department and part came from the Athala.s.sa (Government) flock. It was considered as "an ideal wool for carpet making or for blankets, but deficient in l.u.s.tre for braids."

The actual yield per sheep, viz. 3 to 3-1/2 lb., compares unfavourably with that of Lincolns, which they most closely resemble. This is due partly to breed, but largely also to the conditions under which the sheep are kept (see p. 17).

_Hemp_

The cultivation of hemp (_Cannabis sativa_) is practically confined to the southern part of the Paphos district, and there only in places where the water-supply is ample. The plant is grown only for fibre, which is exclusively used for rope-making, which is carried out by hand by the villagers round about Ktima. It would be of advantage to have a rope-making machine at work at a spot centrally situated in the area of production. A simple hand-worked machine is now being experimentally used and will, it is believed, turn out a better cla.s.s of rope.

The plant grows well on fertile and irrigated lands. Farmyard manure, and specially sheep manure, are generally applied, and chemical fertilisers are now also coming into use.

Harvesting takes place when the plants begin to turn pale. The plants are uprooted, not cut, and are made up into sheaves tied together at the b.u.t.t end only. The bundles are not more than 2-1/2 spans round, and of equal size. When first uprooted the sheaves are placed flat on the field in rows to dry and in such zig-zag fas.h.i.+on that the top end of one sheaf is always made to rest on the b.u.t.t end of another, and thus does not come into contact with the ground: this ensures the circulation of air and hastens the drying process. The sheaves are taken later to the thres.h.i.+ng-floors, where they are stood upright until they are dry. The seed is separated by beating. The sheaves are exposed to the sun until the leaves are shed, and when the stems are entirely dry the bundles are tied up at both ends and are taken to the retting-place, which is usually the common stone tank or cistern of the country. There they are steeped in water for six to nine days. The bundles are generally covered by about one foot of water. On the sixth day the fibre is tested. If it separates easily the bundles are removed, if not they remain for another two or three days. This requires much care and experience, as the quality depends largely upon effective retting. Then they are taken out of the water and sun-dried, being piled up into pointed shooks, left hollow in the centre.

The fibre is separated by means of a wooden implement locally called "melidjia." This consists of a wooden trough placed on two legs which are fixed in the ground. A wedge-shaped piece of wood which is hinged to the trough at one end is used as the beater. The hemp stalks, after the b.u.t.ts are cut off, are placed in the trough and the beater worked up and down so as to split the stalks and lay bare the fibre.

The average production of fibre per scala is 60 to 80 okes, but where conditions are all favourable it may reach 160 to 200 okes and the seed yield may be anything from 80 to 200 okes per scala.

_Silk_

The silkworm (_Bombyx mori_) finds in Cyprus a climate exceptionally favourable to its development, and Cyprus silks have been famous for their quality throughout the middle ages and as far back as the sixth century A.D., when Greek monks first introduced silkworms from China.

In the fateful year 1845, when the disease pebrine nearly destroyed the silk industry of Europe, the anxious search for healthy silkworm eggs that then ensued led Arabs from Syria to visit Cyprus and buy large quant.i.ties of silk coc.o.o.ns from which they raised and exported the eggs.

At that time, therefore, it is evident that Cypriot moths were well thought of. Pebrine soon reached Cyprus and almost brought the Island breed to an end. Thanks, however, to the Pasteur system, whereby pebrine and other silkworm diseases have been brought under complete control, the industry both here and elsewhere was not only saved but has been considerably developed.

Writing in 1896 Mr. P. Gennadius, late Director of Agriculture, Cyprus, stated that the local production of silkworm eggs was so small that it could not be taken into consideration, and from the figures then given the total average annual production at that time is estimated to have been 35,000 okes of dry coc.o.o.ns. This represented an average yield of only 3-1/2 okes of dry coc.o.o.ns, equal to 15-1/2 kilograms of fresh coc.o.o.ns, per ounce of silkworm eggs. This compared very unfavourably with the average annual production of fresh coc.o.o.ns in France and Italy at that time, which was 35 kilograms and 30 kilograms respectively per ounce of silkworm eggs. Moreover, this ratio had been, up to that period, on a descending scale.

In a report published in 1897 Mr. Gennadius attributed this unsatisfactory state of things to the following causes:

1. The importation of cheap silkworm eggs of inferior quality; the average price paid by merchants was 2 to 2-1/2 francs per ounce, while the price in France ranged from 9 to 12 francs.

2. The action of merchants who imported larger quant.i.ties of eggs than they could properly dispose of.