In 1912 some Devon bulls and cows were imported and a herd of this breed was started at the Government Farm, Athalassa. An impetus was thus given to breeding dairy cows, and a number of half- and three-quarter-bred cows are now to be found, which command high prices for milking purposes. The Devon bulls, however, have never come into favour among farmers for raising draught cattle. There was a fair export of cattle to Egypt before the war, a good proportion of the animals being consigned to the Serum Institute, Cairo, as Cyprus cattle, alone among the cattle in this part of the Levant, have so far been free from plague. The number of horned cattle in 1917 is officially given as 48,761. The exports for the five years preceding the war were: Year. Number. Value. £ 1909 2,357 11,314 1910 4,240 20,218 1911 9,664 44,871 1912 5,751 34,303 1913 3,017 20,110 [Illustration: PLATE III. Fig. 1.--Native Bull. Fig. 2.--Native Ram.] There can be no question that if more attention were paid to growing fodder crops, cattle breeding could be greatly increased, and a good trade with Egypt might be done. The establishment of the Athalassa Stock Farm has had a most useful influence on the improvement of the live stock of the Island. Beef has only lately become an article of food for the country people, and is still so only on a small scale. The townspeople, having become Europeanised to a greater degree than formerly, are now becoming beef consumers, and the high price of beef has had a stimulating effect upon breeding for the butchers. Before the British occupation the killing of an ox for eating purposes was considered by many villagers an act of sacrilege. _Sheep_ Sheep rearing is an important industry in Cyprus. The sheep are of the fat-tailed species and are allied, though superior to, the Afrikander sheep. The total number of sheep in the Island in 1917 was 255,150. They feed almost entirely by grazing, and wander, under the charge of shepherds, over considerable areas in search of food, frequently in company with goats. They are valued chiefly for their milk and meat; their wool, though of moderate quality, is small in quantity. (See also under "Dairy Produce," p. 23.) Large numbers of sheep are killed annually for local consumption, and there is a regular export to Egypt, as shown by the following pre-war figures: Year. Number. Value. £ 1904 13,923 10,544 1905 8,816 7,572 1906 5,427 5,470 1907 2,859 2,699 1908 849 835 1909 976 716 1910 3,905 3,064 1911 18,143 12,311 1912 17,611 13,731 1913 7,920 6,724