60 NOTES ON AGRICULTURE IN CYPRUS 



MycetiasiSy and a small hymenopterous fly which has lately 

 appeared and is now under investigation, have, no doubt, 

 checked production. The attacks of Cecidomyia, when 

 serious, reduce the yield by 80 per cent, or over, and 

 normally may lessen it by 40 to 50 per cent. 



Much damage is also caused byTats(Musalexandrinus), 

 which gnaw the bark of the branches, causing them to dry 

 up. Their destruction is encouraged by Government by 

 the payment of i cp. per tail. 



Carob gathering commences about mid-August and 

 lasts for about a month. The beans are knocked dowTi 

 with long sticks, put into sacks and brought into store, or 

 heaped up in the open air, where they often remain for 

 several weeks. This is a safe procedure, as there is little 

 rainfall at that season, and what might fall would not 

 harm the beans, which would quickly dry again. 



It is not easy to estimate the yield per donum of carob 

 trees, but assuming that the trees were planted 30 ft. apart, 

 and there were 16 medium-sized trees to the donum, the 

 yield would average somewhere about 1,260 okes to the 

 donum. The yield varies from year to year, a good year 

 generally being followed by a moderate year. The fruit 

 may be destroyed by frost in January and February, 

 knocked off by hail-stones in March and April or scorched 

 by hot winds in May or June. A full-sized, well-cultivated 

 tree can give up to 720 okes. Taking good and bad years, 

 the value of the annual produce of a medium-sized tree is 55. 



Carobs are sold by the Aleppo cantar of 180 okes, and 

 the normal price may be put at from 135. to 175. per cantar 

 delivered into store. 



Carobs are weighed on export and the tithe is taken in 

 money from exporters at the Customs House. 



The following table shows the export of carobs during 

 the ten years ending 1913-14 : 



Year. Quantity. Value. 



Tons. 



1904-05 

 1905-06 

 1906-07 

 1907-08 

 1908-09 

 190910 

 I9IO-II 

 I9II-I2 

 1912-13 



31,887 104,301 



26,187 85,105 



44.965 157.452 



42,381 151,610 



57,010 188,841 



44.059 157.972 



37,485 145,590 



51,359 182,883 



63,658 251,750 



44,989 179,027 



