84 EXTRACTS FflOM DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR [Sept. 1894. 



REPORTS. 



" I was told of a Turkish farmer, up country, who, after watch- 

 ing a reaping machine at work, exclaimed, ' Tf these things are 

 ' so good, why does not our Padishah show them to us ? ' It 

 might certainly be thought that the introduction of simple 

 suitable machinery would come within the scope of the Minister 

 of Agriculture's duties. There are farms near Constantinople 

 belonging to the Sultan, administered by the Minister of the 

 Civil List. Some years ago the bailiff in charge had several 

 machines working, and invested in others. He was removed 

 or died, and his successor has returned to the old primitive 

 methods." 



" The opening of the country between here and Angora, and the 

 development of agricultural activity which is resulting from it, 

 should lead to an increased demand for machines. The machines 

 most suitable for this country, where the ground is very rough, 

 and gets baked hard in the summer, are not necessarily those 

 preferred in England." 



" This is a point which English makers either lose sight of, or 

 do not think it worth their while attending to. One instance 

 of this is that the reaping machines which give most satisfaction 

 are American. They are lighter than the English, and the iron 

 work is not so brittle, and is better able to stand the hard usage 

 over the rough ground. Quick reaping is of great importance 

 here, as the grain ripens very quickly." 



[Foreign Office Rei^ort, Annual Series, No. 1384.] 



Growth of Cereals in Asia Minor. 



Mr. W. H. Wrench, Her Majesty's Acting Consul General at 

 Constantinople, states that the opening of the Anatolian Railway 

 to Angora has enabled growers in the interior to bring down 

 their produce to the sea, and a new trade has sprung up at 

 Ismidt within the last year. Last year 70,000 quarters of 

 barley of 400 lbs. were shipped from Ismidt to England. 



The Eskishehr barley is of good quality, almost as good as 

 Smyrna usbaks ; in fact a good deal of it was taken to Smyrna, 

 at an extra expense of 5 per cent., and sold there as ushaks for 

 export to England. 



The prices began at U. 4s. Qd. per quarter for Eskishehr 

 barley, c.i.f., any port in England ; and dropped later to 1/. 2s. 



This trade with the interior promises to develop. Last year's 

 crop of linseed was a failure, and the prices for wheat were too 

 low to tempt sellers ; otherwise both these cereals, and maize 

 also, could be brought down in large quantities. 



As regards the province of Aleppo, however, Mr. S. S. Jago, 

 Her Majesty's Consul at that city, reports that during the year 

 1893, wheat and barley, the mainstays of the country, were 

 exported in insignificant quantities owing to the competition in 



