mice. It was intended by the Agricultural Department
to make an attempt to find a market for these roots, in the hope that if
they could obtain a small payment for them farmers might be induced to
collect them off their lands, but the project had to be abandoned for
the time owing to the war. There is a small demand for these roots, if
sliced and dried, in Europe for medicinal purposes.

Squill bulbs from Cyprus were examined at the Imperial Institute in 1916
(see BULLETIN OF THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE, vol. xv. 1917, p. 311). The
samples, which were submitted to a firm of drug manufacturers, were
objected to on account of their dark colour, and were valued at about
6_d._ per lb. as against a pre-war value of 3_d._ per lb.

According to the report by the Imperial Institute there are two
varieties of _Urginea Scilla,_ white and red, the scales of the former
being yellowish-white and those of the latter having a reddish tint, and
there are also many intermediate forms. Though the red and the white
varieties have been stated to possess equal medicinal value, the white
variety is preferred in England.

In making stone irrigation channels which are lined with a coating of
lime and sand or earth, local masons sometimes rub over this lining with
a sliced squill which has been dipped in oil. It is found that this
tends to harden and glaze the lining and prevent it from cracking.

_Colocynth or Bitter Apple_

The colocynth (_Citrullus Colocynthis_), locally called "pikrankoura" or
"petrankoura," grows wild in some parts of the plains. The round
yellowish-green fruit, about the size of an orange or small melon,
ripens in July to September and, after being gathered, is skinned and
dried in the sun. It is used by druggists as a purgative. Until about
ten years ago it was cultivated on a small scale and an annual export of
about L400 in value took place, chiefly to England and Austria. It was
then in demand, it is said, as an adulterant of quinine. The fruit is
locally thought to be a remedy for rheumatism. For this purpose the
fruits are picked and put in a saucepan and covered with olive oil.
After cooking for six hours the pulp or ointment is rubbed into the
affected part. The European demand having ceased, the plant is now only
found in a wild state.

_Asphodel_

The asphodel (_Asphodelus ramosus_), locally known as "spourdellos" or
"spourtoulla," is a troublesome and abundant weed in many parts of the
Island, up to an