3 68 



Agriculture in Malta, 



census of iSgi, gives the description and extent of the 10,000 

 holdings which make up the cultivated area : — 



Description 

 of Land. 



Number 

 of 



Holdings. 



Acreage. 



Per cent, of 

 Cultivated 

 Land. 



Average 

 Extent of 

 Holding. 



Fields 



7,981 



Acres. 

 37,236 



8432 



Acres. 

 4-66 



Mixed fields - 



1,5*3 



6,423 



I4-54 



4-25 



Fruit gardens 



397 



350 



079 



o-88 



Market gardens 



- i 109 



156 



o-35 



i-43 



In the year 1898 the cereal crops consisted of wheat, 

 barley, and a mixture of each sown together [mischtato), and 

 covered an area of 13,189 acres, or 29-86 per cent, of the 

 whole cultivated land. The average yield in bushels per 

 acre was as follows: wheat, 22*56; mischiato, 25*02, and 

 barley, 29-22. The gross production of wheat and mixed 

 corn amounted to 32,087 imperial quarters. This quantity 

 was equivalent to 1*42 bushels per head per annum for the 

 civil population, for which the requirement is 7*21 bushels. 

 There is therefore only a 75 days' supply raised in the colony. 

 Pulse crops include broad beans, peas, and the common 

 vetch, which are gathered green to supply the market ; 

 the chickpeas and chickling vetch,which are grown for forage. 



Owing to Egyptian and American competition, the cultiva- 

 tion of the cotton plant has dwindled to the quantity required 

 for home consumption. Vegetables are grown throughout 

 the year on irrigated land and in open fields during the 

 rainy season. The rent of irrigated land is from £$ 

 per acre. Potatoes and onions are largely grown for 

 exportation. The area under potatoes, of which two 

 crops are raised, viz., one in the spring and another in the 

 winter, amounts to about 5,000 acres. 



Most of the land returned as pasture is barren rock, which 

 only yields pulse in the holes and crevices where soil 

 has collected. The sulla ' Hedysarwn coronarium), which is 



