58 NOTES ON AGRICULTURE IN CYPRUS 



ripe is of a chocolate colour, contains from 6 to 10 hard 

 seeds, embedded in a sweet, pithy, honey-like substance 

 which imparts the flavour so much appreciated by animals. 

 The carob tree belongs to the natural order Legumi- 

 nosse, sub-order Caesalpinae, and is the only species of the 

 genus Ceratonia. It is an evergreen, long-lived tree, grow- 

 ing to a height of 30 ft. and sometimes even to 50 and 60 ft. 

 It thrives in most kinds of soil, especially in porous, marly 

 and even volcanic soils, but not in marshy lands. Owing 

 to its long tap root it resists drought well, and is to be 

 found growing well in rocky land such as is common in 

 many of the carob areas of Cyprus. It is very generally 

 found intermixed with the olive tree and up to about 

 the same altitude. 



A succession of flowers is produced from July to 

 September or October, and in favourable years up to 

 December and even later, and in July-August the tree 

 bears both flowers and ripe fruit. The collection of the 

 latter commences about mid-August, the exact date being 

 annually fixed separately in each district by the Com- 

 missioner. This is done in order to prevent the fruit from 

 being stolen. 



Recent investigations made by the Agricultural 

 Department go to prove that the fruit-producing carob 

 tree of Cyprus is really hermaphrodite, though there yet 

 remains much room for investigation and the point is not 

 finally settled. The others are true male trees. The 

 hermaphrodite carob trees which form practically the 

 whole of the fruit-producing trees of the Island are 

 cleistogamous (i.e. self-fertilised before the calyx opens) 

 .and short-stamened. 



There are also certain trees self-produced from seed 

 which are superior to the ordinary so-called wild tree. 

 These bear fruit which is straight and short but more or 

 iess marketable, and these are known as " kountoura " 

 {short) or " apostoliki," as though sent by chance or by 

 Providence. The word " apostoliki " is applied in Cyprus 

 to other kinds of trees or fruit showing similar phenomena. 

 There are several millions of these trees in the State 

 forests, and yet more privately owned. It frequently 

 liappens that, owing to the wide powers of testamentary 



