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During the first three decades of the 20th century, the British made a substantial effort to upgrade Cyprus agriculture for export purposes. In the above context, silk and flax were of great value to Cypriots and were blooming during the period under study, yet only in the form of home industry. The present paper investigates two agricultural factories operating during the same period of time but very different in every aspect. The Flax Factory in Zodia was the creation of the Department of Agriculture and the present paper gives an overview of the course of the establishment through time and actions from 1923 to 1945. The second factory, the Cyprus Silk Filature in Yeroskipou, Paphos, was a factory established by a British company with the full support of the Cyprus colonial government. Two important aspects of the filature are under study, the working conditions and the company's - cocoon merchant's dispute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]