540 Journal of Agriculture. [lo Sept., 1908. 



morning, under the guidance of a " zaptich " (Turkish policeman) we 

 went through a number of the orchards, which in most cases were regular 

 thickets, as young trees had been planted, or seedlings had grown up, all 

 through the place among the older trees. The oranges had been nearly 

 all gathered, but still there were some on the trees, and a great number 

 on the ground. Those upon the ground had been all cleaned oi their 

 contents by the rats, and were simply skins. I could find no signs of 

 fruit flies, nor could I find out from the owners if they ever suffered from 

 the pest ; but red scale w^as very common, and did a good deal of damage 

 all through the orchards, and is just as plentiful in all the gardens about 

 Nicosia. From Lefka we rode to the railway terminus at Mulfore, and 

 returned to Nicosia that afternoon after a very interesting trip across the 

 island. 



The Forestry Department in Cyprus is a very important institution, as 

 there is a great deal of the island that is treeless, while the high mountains 

 are covered with fine forests of pines. Mr. A. K. Bovill, who has charge 

 of this work, has planted a great number of different species of Australian 

 trees, chiefly Eucalyptus and Acacia, and at Athalassa has a large area of 

 barren marl and chalk hills covered with thickets of young wattles which 

 are growing well in very poor dry soil. He is extending this every year 

 and hopes before long to supply the towns w'ith firewood. At present, 

 round all the towns, they have no firewood, importing charcoal and using 

 a small prickly shrub {Poterium sfinosum) that covers the low hills, to do 

 all their cooking and baking. 



In the island there are about a quarter of a million goats and as there 

 are no fences they are shepherded through the forest and open lands, and 

 supply food, milk, cheese, butter, skins for boots, hair for ropes, bags, 

 &c. As soon as the foresters enclose areas for planting, the villagers 

 cry out that they are being robbed of their free range. The Forestry 

 Department says that the goat, from the amount of trees it destroys, is its 

 greatest enemy, but the goat is a vested interest that has to be considered 

 in all forest work. There is about the same number of sheep in the 

 country, usually shepherded with the goats. They belong to the fat tailed 

 variety, the tip of the tail being twisted like a corkscrew, and most of 

 them are black or piebald. Their wool is almost hair, and the best is 

 worth only about 6d. per lb. The Department of Agriculture is trying 

 to improve the flocks, but finds it very slow work. 



The following day I left Nicosia at 6.30 a.m. for Famagusta. and 

 reached there at 10 a.m. I called upon the District Commissioner (Mr. 

 Travers) who very kindly placed one of his staff and a coach at my dis- 

 posal to inspect the orange orchards of this district about three miles 

 outside the town. The soil of this orchard district is very fine sandy 

 loam. It is all under irrigation, the water being drawn up from wells 

 about 20 to 30 feet in depth by the old wheel and earthenware jars, 

 worked by a mule. The trees are planted in deep basins about 9 feet 

 between each tree, and the water is distributed from the main channels. 

 For about five months thev do not need to use water but later on once a 

 week and, when the crop is on the trees, twice a week. They could nrit 

 understand how we could grow oranges anywhere without regularly 

 v.atering the trees, as they have little or no rain for six months when the 

 crop is ripening. The trees are budded in a very primitive manner, but 

 all the best oranges and pomegranates are grown in this district. They 

 are quite as large and well flavored as any of the Jaffa oranges that come 

 into the market at Constantinople, and besides the long oval form there is 

 a large hemispherical one just as fine. The Commissioner told me that 



