4 NOTES ON AGRICULTURE IN CYPRUS 



The area of cultivated land is approximately 1,200,000 

 acres, and that of the uncultivated land 1,093,760 acres, 

 of which about 450,000 are forest land and 320,000 are 

 susceptible of cultivation. The Messaoria plain is the 

 great corn-growing area. 



Climate and Rainfall 



There are considerable extremes of temperature in the 

 plains. In summer it is very hot and dry with temperature 

 ranging during June to September from 80 to 1 10 Fahr., 

 while in winter slight frosts not infrequently occur. The 

 climate is more equable, but also more humid, along 

 the coasts. In the plains there is, during the greater 

 part of the year, a marked variation between the day and 

 night temperatures. 



Official records show that for a period of thirty-two 

 years up to 1915 the average rainfall for hill and plain 

 for the whole Island approximated to 20 inches. Up to 

 1902 records were kept only in the six district towns, but 

 since then there have been some fifty recording stations. 

 The mean rainfall during the winter months for the twelve 

 years ended 1914 was 18-55 inches. That for the whole 

 year during the latter period was 2i'i8 inches. 



The incidence of rainfall, apart from its volume, is of 

 importance. It is on the rainfall of the six winter months, 

 October to March, that the prosperity of the Island depends, 

 and any shortage during this period cannot be balanced 

 by heavier summer rains, which are more liable to cause 

 harm than good, by damaging the corn lying on the 

 threshing-floors and by causing sudden floods. 



Much importance attaches to the rains in March, 

 without which the grain crop, however ample the earlier 

 rains may have been, will not be satisfactory, as described 

 in a maxim which I have attempted to render in English. 



If twice in March it chance to rain, 



In April once, a shower in May, 

 In weight in gold of man and wain 



The farmer's crops are sure to pay. 

 If roads are dry at Christmas time, 



But Epiphany finds both mud and slime, 

 And at Carnival they still hold many a pool, 



The farmer finds his barns quite full. 



