86 NOTES ON AGRICULTURE IN CYPRUS 



silks have been famous for their quality throughout the 

 middle ages and as far back as the sixth century A.D., 

 when Greek monks first introduced silkworms from 

 China. 



In the fateful year 1 845, when the disease pebrine nearly 

 destroyed the silk industry of Europe, the anxious search 

 for healthy silkworm eggs that then ensued led Arabs from 

 Syria to visit Cyprus and buy large quantities of silk 

 cocoons from which they raised and exported the eggs. 

 At that time, therefore, it is evident that Cypriot moths 

 were well thought of. Pebrine soon reached Cyprus and 

 almost brought the Island breed to an end. Thanks, how- 

 ever, to the Pasteur system, whereby pebrine and other 

 silkworm diseases have been brought under complete 

 control, the industry both here and elsewhere was not 

 only saved but has been considerably developed. 



Writing in 1896 Mr. P. Gennadius, late Director of 

 Agriculture, Cyprus, stated that the local production of 

 silkworm eggs was so small that it could not be taken into 

 consideration, and from the figures then given the total 

 average annual production at that time is estimated to 

 have been 35,000 okes of dry cocoons. This represented 

 an average yield of only 3^ okes of dry cocoons, equal to 

 1 5 1 kilograms of fresh cocoons, per ounce of silkworm eggs. 

 This compared very unfavourably with the average annual 

 production of fresh cocoons in France and Italy at that 

 time, which was 3 5 kilograms and 30 kilograms respectively 

 per ounce of silkworm eggs. Moreover, this ratio had 

 been, up to that period, on a descending scale. 



In a report published in 1897 Mr. Gennadius attributed 

 this unsatisfactory state of things to the following causes : 



1 . The importation of cheap silkworm eggs of inferior 

 quality ; the average price paid by merchants was 2 to 

 2\ francs per ounce, while the price in France ranged 

 from 9 to 12 francs. 



2. The action of merchants who imported larger quan- 

 tities of eggs than they could properly dispose of. 



3. The ignorance and folly of rearers who undertook 

 to rear far more worms than they could properly " educate/' 

 having regard to space, leaves and labour. 



In 1908 the Department of Agriculture set to work, with 



