104 NOTES ON AGRICULTURE IN CYPRUS 



Basket-making 



Basket-making is a considerable industry, as all fruit 

 and much other produce is transported in baskets mostly 

 designed for the backs of donkeys or mules. The export 

 trade of fruit and vegetables creates a constant demand 

 (see Plate VII, fig. 2). The bulk of these baskets are made 

 of reeds (Arundo) which grow luxuriantly by the side of 

 water channels or wherever moist soil is found. This 

 material is not an ideal one for the purpose, as the baskets 

 are easily crushed and lose shape, to the detriment of the 

 contents. The reeds are therefore often stiffened by the 

 introduction of an occasional breadth of some other 

 material, e.g. shinia (Pistacia Lentiscus), tremithia or 

 myrtle. All these are much used in basket-making, 

 though the latter is heavy. There is a native willow 

 (Salix alba) and also the weeping willow (S. babylonica). 

 These have not been used until recently when, by the 

 efforts of the Agricultural Department, a number of these 

 trees have been pollarded and the new shoots have been 

 found quite satisfactory for the purpose. 



Six years ago a number of osier cuttings were imported 

 from England, but unfortunately they have not succeeded 

 so far owing to a succession of dry years. The surviving 

 plants were this autumn removed to a more suitable site, 

 but after suffering from drought they have now been almost 

 destroyed by heavy floods. 



In order to encourage the manufacture of better 

 baskets for the fruit trade between Cyprus and Egypt the 

 Agricultural Department provides practical instruction in 

 basket-making, and a qualified teacher pays occasional 

 visits to basket-making villages and demonstrates the 

 work and teaches improved patterns to the villagers and 

 school boys. 



Fruit and Vegetable Preserving 



There is little doubt that the establishment of small 

 factories for canning or bottling fruits and vegetables 

 would be a profitable undertaking. Owing to the sudden- 

 ness with which, in the heat of summer, the fruits ripen in 

 Cyprus, and the consequent glut that often ensues, market 



