ing and for use in confectionery, and the
industry has grown.

A marked improvement has taken place in the preparation of the raisins;
and specially qualified officials of the Agricultural Department every
year give practical instruction on this subject in the vine villages.

_Citrus Fruits_

Oranges and lemons are very extensively grown in Cyprus, whilst
mandarines, citrons ("kitria") and sweet limes ("glykolemonia") are also
found in every part of the Island. In addition, the shaddock ("phrappa")
and the bergamot orange are cultivated in the Island.

The best and most common variety of the sweet orange is the oval
(sometimes round) Jaffa, grown everywhere, but specially at Famagusta,
where there are numerous orange groves. Another variety of good quality
is grown at Lefka. The trees of both varieties produce large, firm,
thick-fleshed fruit.

Bitter oranges are largely grown from seed for stock on which the better
kinds are grafted. Many thousands of these, and also of the grafted
plants, are annually issued from the Government Nurseries. Much loss has
been sustained from time to time through disease, and in 1899 whole
orange groves at Famagusta, Lefka and Kythrea were uprooted or cut right
back. With the expansion of the Agricultural Department and a small
qualified staff it has become possible to bring these diseases somewhat
under control, and the orange and lemon production has much increased,
though gummosis and scale disease still play much havoc.

In the Varosha orange groves the trees are grown in light, sandy soil,
which is banked up round the trunk. They are irrigated by means of the
native alakati, or noria, or more often by air-motors, which in this
locality are much in vogue.

The two most common causes of failure are the persistent planting of
trees too close together and over-watering. Growers turn a deaf ear to
all advice aimed at changing these two bad habits. The native
agriculturist is convinced, beyond the reach of argument, that the
greater the number of trees on a given area the greater will be the
profit. In a land where water is so precious the deep-rooted opinion is
held that the more water a plant receives the better it will thrive, and
too frequent irrigation accounts to a large extent for the widespread
damage caused by gummosis. Until lately pruning was scarcely practised
at all. Thanks to a system of model orchards lately instituted by the
Agricultural Department, better methods