Notes on agriculture in Cyprus and its productsBevan, William
History
Notes on agriculture in Cyprus and its products
Bevan, William
Agriculture -- Cyprus; Produce trade -- Cyprus
Sheep-folding is practically unknown, and no crops are specially grown
as food for sheep. Occasionally they may get a little rovi (vetch), rovi
straw, lentil straw, favetta, pea-haulm or (in the hills) mavrachero
(tares). They suffer in years of drought, but on the whole thrive
wonderfully well on very scanty pasturage.
Good work has been done of late years in the improvement of Cyprus sheep
at the Government Athalassa Farm, and ewes and rams from the farm flock
are much sought after by sheep-owners, many of whom are making efforts
to ameliorate the breed. The question of providing suitable forage also
is not being lost sight of.
_Goats_
The goat has been a cause of much controversy for many years and a
source of discord between farmer and shepherd. Owing to the absence of
farm boundaries the herds of goats (and sheep) continually trespass on
the cultivated areas, and the shepherds are at little pains to restrain
them when there is a chance of the animals getting a good meal. Large
sums in the aggregate are paid by way of fines and damages, but the
shepherds evidently find that even so it is profitable to continue such
practices.
In consequence of the serious harm done every year in the State forests
by these animals, a law "For the gradual exclusion of goats from the
Island" was passed in 1913 and came into operation on August 1 that
year.
As the subjoined table shows, the number of goats has decreased, but it
is doubtful how far this is due to the law, and how far to the losses
from goat-pox, which is very prevalent, and to the shipments for
military purposes during the war:
Year. Head.
1880 210,736
1890 237,475
1900 243,397
1910 276,794
1913 (when the law was passed) 242,524
1918 191,017
The goat is in many respects well suited to the Island, and provides the
villager with milk, cheese, meat, boots and manure. The animals cost
very little to keep--even apart from their depredations--and thrive,
especially in the hills, under conditions unsuited to sheep and cattle.
They are, however, great enemies to agriculture and forestry, and if
they are to be preserved in the Island, it is essential that both they
and the shepherds be brought under strict control.
In Cyprus most of the goats have very short hair, which cannot be shorn.
From this fact, and from the external shape of the animal, one may infer
that it is either a variety of the Anatolian breed modified by local
influences, or a hybrid of the Numidic and Anatolian breeds (see Plate
III, fig. 2). The Anatolian goat has long and more or less thick hair,
especially on the shoulders, sides and thighs, which, clipped in the
spring, yields a not insignificant income for the goat-breeder
(Gennadius).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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