io NOTES ON AGRICULTURE IN CYPRUS 



Agricultural Implements 



Ploughs. The old wooden plough of the East is still 

 the common plough of the country (see Plate I, fig. i). 

 Efforts were made from io to 15 years ago to introduce 

 iron ploughs by selling them through the Agricultural 

 Department at half the cost price and even less. High- 

 water mark was reached in 1908 when 102 of these ploughs 

 were so sold. These were much approved of, and the 

 further sale was then left in the hands of merchants. The 

 demand at once fell off and since then only a few have 

 been introduced. For a year or two a certain number 

 of iron ploughs of Russian make were imported and sold 

 through the Jewish settlement at Margo. 



There is now a considerable demand which it may be 

 possible to satisfy when normal conditions are resumed. 

 There is some prejudice against English-made ploughs 

 on the score of weight, as they are mostly heavier than 

 those of French, Russian, Greek and American make. 



Harrow. The native harrow, " saraclo," is a wooden 

 beam about io ft. long by 12 to 18 in. broad and 3 in. 

 thick, on which the labourer stands as it is drawn over 

 the newly sown land. It is ineffective inasmuch as it 

 does not break the clods, but merely presses them into the 

 ground. Iron-toothed harrows and spring- toothed har- 

 rows have been lent by the Department for demonstration 

 purposes to different persons, and these, particularly the 

 second kind, have found favour and are likely to be in 

 demand for covering the sown seed. The usual method is 

 to cover the seed with the native plough, but the European 

 harrow is seen to do the work more effectively and with 

 a great economy of time. 



Among the more common agricultural tools of native 

 pattern are the following (see Plate II) : 



Tsappa (hoe). The wider tool, 5 in. to 6 in., is mostly 

 for garden use ; the narrow tsappa, about 3 in. wide, is 

 for field work. 



Skalistiri. A kind of small tsappa, 2 in. wide, having 

 two prongs 4 in. to 5 in. long at the opposite end. It is 

 mostly used for hoeing vegetables. 



Xinari (axe or hatchet). One end of the implement 



