56 NOTES ON AGRICULTURE IN CYPRUS 



The good prices obtained have led, particularly in the 

 Famagusta district and in what are called the " red earth " 

 villages, to much activity and no small outlay in the 

 matter of water-supply and distribution, and in the use of 

 chemical manures. 



The custom has grown up for importers to send their 

 seed potatoes for planting in the higher parts of the Island. 

 The produce therefrom is exchanged with growers in the 

 plains, who send up their plain-grown tubers as seed to the 

 cultivators in the hills. Merchants often stipulate with 

 the hill-growers that they shall have their crop at an 

 agreed, and generally a fairly high, figure. In this manner 

 degeneration of the seed has been retarded ; but owing to 

 the difficulty of obtaining seed from outside during the war 

 a certain amount of degeneration has taken place. 



Only one crop can be grown in the hills during the 

 year, but in the plains two crops are obtained. The one is 

 planted in January and is dug in May-June ; the other is 

 planted in July and dug in November. It is found that 

 the tubers lifted in the summer suffer greatly from the 

 heat, and heavy losses occur from rot, whether the tubers 

 remain in the ground or if they are dug and stored ; and it 

 is a question whether, when these losses are taken into 

 account, the summer crop is really profitable. 



The average yield is sometimes put at 2,000 okes per 

 donum, but 1,600 okes, or 2 tons, is probably a more 

 accurate figure. 



Kolokas (Colocasia antiquorum) 



This is a favourite food of the villager, but can only be 

 grown where there is an ample water-supply and on heavy 

 land that holds the water. It is an exhausting crop. 

 The root only is eaten. It is sown in March-April and dug 

 about October-November. 



Onions 



These are generally grown, especially in the Paphos 

 district ; Famagusta and Limassol following in the order 

 named. The Paphos onions are supposed to have par- 

 ticularly good keeping qualities. Both round ("strongyla") 



