Notes on Agriculture in Cyprus and Its Products Part 9

Some years ago good numbers of the edible chestnut were raised at Pedoulas by the Agricultural Department and distributed to villagers for growing in the hills. It is feared that the greater part of these trees, through want of attention, unsuitability of soil or climate, lack of moisture, and especially damage by goats, have been lost, but some remain and well-grown young trees may be found in certain localities and in moderate numbers among the mountains. As soon as adequate protection from goats can be given, this tree might be well worth more extensive cultivation. It prospers well when properly cared for, but will not thrive in soils containing more than about 3 per cent. of lime or at an elevation below about 1,000 ft.

The tree has been propagated almost entirely from seed, which must be as fresh as possible. No doubt one reason for the lack of interest hitherto shown in this tree by villagers is that it does not begin to fruit, as a rule, until about its twentieth year.

_Pistacia_

Several species of _Pistacia_ occur in Cyprus, and although they yield products of different kinds, it will be convenient to deal with them together in the present section.

The pistachio nut (_Pistacia vera_), locally called "Aleppo pistachio,"

is a native of Persia and Arabia and it was thought, until a few years ago, that it would not thrive in Cyprus. That is, however, a fallacy, which is rather confirmed by the fact that the _P. Terebinthus_ and the _P. Lentiscus_ are indigenous to the Island. It is considered that the best method of cultivation is to bud _P. vera_ on _P. Terebinthus_.

Though they grow more slowly, these budded trees are more robust and better resist drought, cold and moisture. The trees should yield fruit in five years from the time of grafting. A fair number of these trees have now been distributed from the Government Nursery Gardens.

This tree provides the pistachio nuts which are now imported from Syria and Chios.

Male trees do not usually flower at the same time as female; consequently there has been difficulty in getting fruit with seeds, and recourse must in that case be had to artificial fertilisation.

The Palestine or turpentine tree (_P. palaestina_), local name "tremithos," grows in certain parts of the Island, but is seen at its best in the Paphos district, especially in and around the town of Ktima.

The fruit is eaten fresh or salted and dried. It yields 10 to 15 per cent. of edible oil which has a certain local demand. A medium-sized tree may produce up to 60 to 80 okes of fruit. After crus.h.i.+ng and expression, the residue together with the seed is found to be a good food for pigs. A small consignment of both the dried and salted fruit and of the residue was sold in Egypt in 1916 and realised 5 to 6 cp. per oke for the former, and 3_s._ to 4_s._ per kile for the latter.

By making incisions in the trunks of both the male and the female trees a gum or turpentine known as "Paphos tar" is obtained, which fetches as much as 8_s._ to 10_s._ per oke. It is used locally for chewing.

This is one of the largest trees in the Island and is of handsome shape.

It is deciduous and some fine specimens are met with.

_Pistacia Lentiscus_, locally known as s.h.i.+nia, or s.h.i.+nia bush, abounds all along the coasts of the Island. From the seeds of this shrub an oil is expressed which is used for culinary purposes, particularly for frying fish. The oil is also in good local demand for soap making, and a very fair soap is produced, especially at Akanthou, in which the oil is the chief ingredient.

The leaves of this shrub are largely used for tanning purposes and were at one time regularly exported to England, though in small quant.i.ties.

The princ.i.p.al market for s.h.i.+nia leaves is Palermo. They are employed to no small extent for the adulteration of sumach, for which Palermo is also the leading market. s.h.i.+nia leaves were also in demand at Lyons as a dyeing material for silk stuffs.

There are also a few specimens of a variety of _P. Lentiscus_ (mastic tree) from which in the Island of Chios the famous Chios mastic is obtained by incisions made in the trunks of the male stocks.

The terebinth tree (_P. Terebinthus_), locally called "tremithia," is a bush very widely grown throughout the higher regions. It is used as a stock on which to graft _P. vera_. The berries are used for extraction of oil which has a value for culinary purposes. They are also made into a cake called "tremithopites." The berries are much smaller than those of the _P. palaestina_.

VEGETABLES

The cultivation of vegetables has considerably extended of late. Good market gardens have existed in and around the princ.i.p.al towns for many years, but more attention is now being paid to this industry in the villages, wherever water is available, and a considerable amount of skill is shown in production.

Among the best and most generally grown vegetables are spinach, cauliflowers, cabbages, egg-plants, lady's fingers, leeks, artichokes, broad beans (also grown as a field crop), radishes, celery, beet-root, pumpkins, marrows, cuc.u.mbers, lettuces, tomatoes, lentils, kohl-rabi ("kouloumbra"), kidney beans ("phasoulia"), peas, kolokas, onions and potatoes.

There is a considerable demand in Egypt for fresh vegetables, and to meet this the land around the "ports" of Famagusta, Larnaca and Lima.s.sol has been for some years specially devoted to their cultivation. In the mountain valleys a continuous series of small vegetable gardens may be seen flanking the sides of the river-banks. The exports of vegetables to Egypt in recent years are given in the following table:

Beans and Other Year. Onions. Peas. Vegetables.

_Cwts._ _Cwts._ _Cwts._ 1909 6,664 1,729 49 1910 3,807 858 60 1911 5,512 2,346 122 1912 3,659 2,583 135 1913 2,854 1,670 32

_Beans and Peas_

Beans are grown for market mainly at Maratha.s.sa and Pitsillia and generally in the higher regions, but only to a small extent in the plains.

Before the war there was a comparatively large importation of beans from Anatolia. This having stopped, local prices rose and stimulated production in the Island.

The Cypriot is a lover of dried vegetables, and there might well be an extension in the cultivation of beans, similar to that which has lately taken place in the case of green peas. Except in one or two places, these were not sown by the villagers until about four years ago, but so valuable have they been found, especially in recent years of scarcity and high cost of other foodstuffs, that now whole districts are being devoted to their cultivation.

The French or kidney bean (_Phaseolus vulgaris_) is locally known under the general term "louvia." This name is applied both to _Phaseolus vulgaris_ and to _Dolichos melanophthalmus_ (_Vigna Catjang_ var.

_sinensis_). To distinguish the two kinds the Cypriot describes the _P.

vulgaris_ as "louvia gliastra" (_i.e._ l.u.s.trous, owing to its s.h.i.+ny appearance), or "louvia peratica" (_i.e._ foreign), as _D.

melanophthalmus_ was introduced and had become acclimatised some time before. Gennadius, however, describes the "louvia peratica" as _Dolichos Lablab_ or lablab bean.

Both the dwarf ("koutsoulia") and the climbing ("makrya" or "anarichomena") varieties of _P. vulgaris_ are grown. There are two white kinds, the large ("adra") and the small ("psintra").

Beans of various colours are grown here and there, and one spotted variety ("patsaloudhia") merits greater attention than it receives at present, both on account of its greater productiveness and for its excellent flavour. Two of these are stringless, but a drawback to them is that they discolour the water in which they are boiled.

There are several newly imported kinds which are privately grown, and these are gradually coming into the local markets.

The lubia or cow-pea (_Dolichos melanophthalmus_ = _Vigna Catjang_ var.

_sinensis_), being a good drought-resister, is grown more or less throughout the Island. It is frequently sown in mixed crop with cotton, sesame, Indian corn, etc.

Two kinds are cultivated--the larger, "lubia melissomatia" (having the eye like a bee), and the smaller, "lubia mavromatoudhia" (dark-eyed).

The dried pods of _Phaseolus_ and _Dolichos_ are fed to animals and are also used for stuffing mattresses.

The broad bean (_Vicia Faba_) has been grown for some years on irrigated land in the plains, where it takes a recognised place in the rotation.

Its cultivation is now spreading to the higher parts.

The soy bean was introduced a few years ago by the Agricultural Department, but has failed hitherto to attract attention. Villagers find it requires different cooking from what they are accustomed to, and local dealers are not yet prepared to deal in it. It has been found resistant to disease, and further efforts are being made to bring it into popular favour.

The Ochrus vetch (_Lathyrus Ochrus_), locally known as "louvana," is a fairly common spring crop, being grown for the sake of the seed which provides a favourite Cypriot dish. The leaves are also used as a salad.

This crop is sown in the plains in January, but in the Karpas and some other parts it is sown in the autumn.

Chick-peas (_Cicer arietinum_), locally called "revithia," grow well and are cultivated to a moderate extent. Samples examined at the Imperial Inst.i.tute proved to be of normal composition. Two firms of produce brokers in London stated that if quant.i.ties of about 5 tons at a time could be delivered in England in as good a condition as the sample they could be sold for human consumption and would be worth (1917) 20 to 24 per ton c.i.f., United Kingdom ports. If of inferior quality to the sample they would be fit only for cattle food and fetch considerably less (see BULLETIN OF THE IMPERIAL INSt.i.tUTE, vol. xv. 1917, p. 307).

Chick-peas when roasted are locally called "koudames" and are eaten in the same way as ground-nuts, which they much resemble in flavour. They are little, if at all, used in Cyprus as a cattle food.

_Potatoes_

The potato-growing industry in Cyprus has developed considerably in recent years, as will be seen from the subjoined table of exports:

Year. Quant.i.ty. Value.

_Cwts._ 1909 12,586 3,105 1910 14,983 3,839 1911 36,271 8,472 1912 45,336 10,348 1913 31,310 7,003 1914 54,203 11,741 1915 82,304 28,513 1916 136,027 74,632 1917 224,453 101,120

These figures, however, are a very inadequate indication of the actual increase of production, inasmuch as the local consumption of this vegetable before the war was confined almost entirely to the well-to-do residents in the towns, whereas now it is rapidly becoming a staple food of the people. This unascertainable but large local consumption must be added to the latest export returns in order to arrive at an estimate of present production.