672 Agricultural Gazette of N.S. TV. [^//r/. 3, 1908. 



Witli a letter of introduction, I called upon Monsieur C. de Hay mend, 

 Inspector, Technique de la Dette Publique Ottomane, who has charge of the 

 work done in connection with helping the vine and silk industries. Mr. 

 Kayniond informed nie that they distributed cuttiiiics and mulberry plants 

 free to encourage the industry, and the introduction of silk has increased 

 in Turkey in Europe from l,(S71,7i39 kilos of cocoons in 1902 to .1,62.'}, 1-45 

 kilos in ly07. A kilo is 2 lb. S oz. Wine making is in a very bad way, but 

 the Smyrna raisin industry is one of their big industries. Tliis Department 

 also deals with forestry and fisheries, but does no replanting — simply collects 

 the license money from the timber getters. 



In the fruit markets, one of the sights of Stambul, there are a great many 

 varieties of oranges and other citrus fruit otfei-ed for sale, and I am inforrned 

 that the commissi(m agents tix the selling price to the retailers every 

 morning. The Jafl'a orange is a very large long orange, with an e.Ytremely 

 thick skin, Init has a very fine flavour and very few pips. They vary from Id. 

 to l.Ul., buying from the basket-men. A very fine blood orange, and a line 

 round orange with a thinnish skin, comes from Syria, from whence also comes 

 a very large deep-coloured mandarin, which has a very loose skin, and is as 

 sour as a lemon ; these I am told aie boiled in sugar and made into sweet- 

 meats. Large quantities of tlie lemons, and soms oranges also, come from 

 Sicily and Italy. I saw no signs of fruitfly among them, but scale was pretty 

 thick upon some Syrian ones, Aspidiotus hederce, probably, and Chionaspis 

 citri. Apples are scarce and very poor at this time of the year. T^hey are 

 chiefly grown at Amasa, in Turkey in Asia, and are a small red variety. 

 Bananas are practically unknown in the markets, but some come to the fruit 

 shops from Egypt and are a luxury. 



The vegetables are very fine and of many kindy — nearly all grown in the 

 Asiatic side of the Bosphorus, — while dried fruits and all kinds of nuts, grain, 

 and legumes are very abundant and cheap. There was almost a total failure 

 of the harvest in Asia Minor last season, and I'ain is wanted very badly now. 

 All the vineyards are dug by hand, the Turkish labourer using a very hea^•y 

 fork with two straight prongs and a long handle, and two of them working 

 together turn over a great mass of soil at each dig. They work from 7 

 o'clock in the morning to 6 in the evening, and get Is. Id. a day. 



I leave here to-morrow at 4 p.iu in the M.iM.S. Co. boat for Cyprus, and 

 should reach there on the 4th or 5t!i of May, and should leave there a week 

 later for Cairo. 



I have, itc, 



WALTER W. FROGG.ITT. 

 The Hon. the Minister for Agriculture, 



Sydney, New South Whales. 



