The Sun.
London, England, 1820-09-14 00:00:00

AGRICULTURE.

•
13.111115 i-I OPIUM.
The GOLD ISIS MEDAL was in 1819 conferred
by the Society of Arts, &c. in the Adelphi,
on .jOEIN YOUNG, Esq. Fellow of the Royal
College of Surged ot;tEdinbttrkh, for his method-
of cultivating—in.- Gfreat Pritain the PAPAVER.
SOMNIFtIZUM, and the "preparation of OPIUM
frbrn ir,==tite tolloiving are the communications,
received on the.- subject, ,and Spe-;
eirgtil% of the -Instryments described and 're-
fetigi,!-to :are; placed in the' .Society's Repo-
The ,ipipertam,.e of '.this •Car nflallnica-
tioy.,:dichwes us to give •it at. length to our
-1-41:turill, Readers. t t,% •
-• Frliuburch Atprii 1818-
. from Pop in VS 41:t1W 14
enz,"g‘d tl,c attention of the Si,cirty' for the
lirw,Ottrit;:ement ttc:Arts; Mantifactures,Thnl Commetee. I
regork.you. will do 6,0 the ,f4ronr prescnt to tite.tiovie-
ty .rhtlfvtlo.st2Al account 'of a new toe, tv.tl o,collect ing. Okiltto
frnd a proposal for igo id ()ring' 'the, Vilesent
motion-I gathriine; it in the East I ndlii•6. The has. euntabitta
.r.pt•-c)raen, of Opitun, the, iustronients used for collecOuF
it. ana one of the iklira !row which r e.atheo.il it. I have
ftree, vu areut.nt t cel !ideates respective; t hettfica4
of.the,o.-tari
- "

Fecretnry;-&e,.'

~-m--

I um, Sir. ,
B.;c.
J4.511";* You Nu.

.• •
Thi_eesistrel,bietary_ of Opium, end-the makiner of collect-
inianrrptepating it it) thsel*:ast and nersie bas,
betre,Thilyelefuled by' Dr. Sawn el Cramp,' in his Inquiry into
tote ;Nature god Properties ef Opiim.- lie examined the 411f-
teektat aestennitp related by, gut hors,- from Dioscorides,
Fceota•lifeei aisd Maley:other:, till the year. 1;92, ,when his very
ierer, stag. seUf l. was completed.
The prepaeatipn.of Opium
,in Britain has lung been a tlesi•
derat out, I'r,ntininshaisisl+eicorferect b} the Society of Arts,
• aticl -more recently by the. Caledonian, llorticulteral Society.
Svc:if:rots of British Olden) hive beenspreduCed and proved
toshiSatistio degree' inft;rior Su.the best
.Ftereiza Opium ; hut
it lola psit yet been aserOtairied that this valuable drug can he
celsireeted ut tritnio with profit to the grower-. •',
bei'law experiments ashith have horn wade, 'were con-
slisheal.aCcording to the..Eeetern usiele. But the temperatere,
winds, and rain of this climate, hare hitherto been -justly cons
sWeriees insuperable eh-Jacks. Of these the temperature
7,00, he,h4l/kis the least. °ejection:title, for the large. white
pppy-(,Perptu•er soma:Pr-lint of Linnaeus,) from which Fo-
re;gr, Opium is obtained, crimes to ;net urity iii ibis climate.
But -it is ftnther objected, that the high winds beat down th'e
planti, and the rains wash off the Opium, before it can 'tie
collettedeviten the Eastern mode of gathering it is practised.
-It has therefore been proposed to cultivate the garden poppy
of Ibis',Cituntry, because it is not so liable to be damaged ley
wind as theetarge white poppy.
, . •
eltissthe abject of 'this communication. to describe a me-
-0444 which these obstacles hate been completely removed,
airiest demonstrate fruit the tesult of experiment that Opium,
seises-hut in.quatily to the best Turkey Opium, can be procur-
ed iu Britain, in sufficient quantity, nut only for home con-
sumptiOe'; btit also for exportation. ft is proposed to cultivate
the popPy not only for its• Opium, but also for its oil; ii id it
will appear that a crop of early polatoes.may be raised upon
tfse same space of ground, with the Opium and oil by
the saute coltnre, and that such a crop will, in a gocid SCRUM,
yield a clear profit of front 301. to .801., per acre, allowing 601.
ioisex pc aces.
trionopnly Of the opium, produced from the culture
of the poppy, is the third principal branch of the East India
Company's territorial revenue in India.*
In 173, the contract or exclusive privilege for providing
repiuM was granted to Meet Munkeer, in preference (as was
atatej by, Government) to any one eke, because, being the
person employed by the gentlemen of Patna in that business,
he Wee the best acquainted with the proper mode of manag-
irg it, and would account for army outstanding 'balances. He
was to deliver the Balms' opium at 320 rupees, and the Oude
at 359 rupees per meant'. . •
Since that time, the East India Company's anneal ret cove
noon that article alone has risen front eight-to upwards of
rightylacs or ropers, or more titan a million sterling. I3y a
report, dated East India House, 99t1•h February, 1816, which
was at that time !aid beforeeParliament, the sale of Opium in
Berigel for the year 1813-14, amounted to 96 tars, 40,7°9 cur-
- reot ropers, the advances and charges upon which only
anti:mated to to hies, 77,15:38 current rupees. • 4
But tire 014'11W-used in Britain is principally supplied from
Tortey. The. gross amount of -duty-upon Opium, imported
into Great Gritain in the year 1816, was only 9,6311..135.,
while the average quantity consumed in Britain is 14,4001 h.,
which is chargeable with a duty of-Bs. Bd.•per pound. •• The've
are, besides, from 250 to 300 rheas of Option imported from
arid lodged in b ,ond warehouses for exportation, each
chest' containing from loolb. to 9001 h. of Opium.
statement is from a Member-1)f the Turkey Company in
Lafeadin •
As the method of gathering Opium, shout to he proposed,
differs materially front any othcr hitherto in use, it may be
proper to observe, that MI% Balt, who obtained a premium of
fifty guineas Irons the Society of Arts, collected.his Opiutn
accatrding to the Bengal method, which is accurately describ-
ed by Mr. Kerr. who was nit ocular witness, and by A.W.
Davis,: %clime accounts agree with that given by Kminpfer
reverting the _mode of collectiog Opium in Persia. 'She
seeds, according to Mr. Kerr, are sown if) quadrangular areas,
the intervals" of` width are formed -into aqueducts for convey-
in.g water into each area. 'Flue plants are allowed to grow
eix Or eight inches front each other, and are plentifully sup-
p,i, d with water till they are six or eight inches high, when a
9,ttrient compost of ihnig„ ashes, and nitrous earth, is laid'
over the areas A little before the dowers appear, they are
anain still watered till the capsules arelalf grown, when the
w'ater'ing is .stopped, and I buy begin to collect thenipinun.
• This they effect by makings-at suosetestwo honsitudinal
in-
cis4ous froM below tipsiesrdS, without penetrative; the cavity,
san an'ireitromeet that has two. peints fine and sharreas
a, hymen. The incisions are repeated every evening-, 'until
•stach-napente bas received six or eight wounds. and they are'
that% }Wowed to. ripen !heir seeds. The juice which exudes,
is collected in the meriting, end beim; inspissated to a pre'per-
catti•nence, by worhin-i'it in an earthen-pot in the sun's-heat,
it„is•fornied into cakes kir sale. • .
'in this mauper Mr. Ball cullected four ounces of Opium
freOn one fall end 'twenty eight equae.e. yards of geonitd,
winch -13 at the rate of 9211). 8 nip'. per acre. But, in another
seelosee',he ohserves, that by a calculation a hich.he made, sup-
au. erg one poppy geowinc in one square foot of earth, and
,
pieducinr one gra-in of °piton; more thaff.so lb.•will tie col-
lented from one statute acre. of 410, But if 1-taktt this pro-
end calculate by the rule used by hind-ruesurers,
diteproduce in that ease woolit only be 5 lb:Ilex:And:I dr:
,neenrcre: If;Me. gs 'assertions With respect -tothe proles-
hie progiuce had Item carrect, there can be .no ,douirt that
/turn would have laren prepared ;If this eikOrtry to a consi-
der-aide extviit.
It is probable that Mr. Thomas Jones, who was a candidate
foothe preininnt offered by the Society or Arts, wits Misled by
the cpaulations cif Mr. Ball: Mr. Jones only crVected 21.16.
ex; d'opitito frier five acres • tied upwitrds of poppies, and
otheitted the peemioneof fifty guineas for .the largest sine:l-
awn. • Lie coilected Its Opium ace(); dinea o the Bengal me-
t he'd ; b,tt some of his poppies, he says, became stunted, :led
s;t .'ors I...ere entirely destroyed. by remarkably dry weather,
atsieleconfinued six weeks front the !legit:lring of,Moy. This
nay be considered as
.tbe rea,on why' he obtained sd
little
fret: ire ect es. In anotner plaCe, he says, the largest quan-
tity which his man, seven children, and himself, were able to
wocure in ope movnitig from a to 9 o'clock, was, one pound
Leif a half. • T11;3 happened when the dew was remar kelsly
andnmeceeded ope of the warmest (lays °folic suMmer.
" And as he admits, its another piece, that the ood„, („100,
appeared upon the beads in a soft ashcoloured substance),
.vfaiin first collected:ls, from its union with the dew, much
tap soft to be formed into a proper* consistence; making a
proper allowance ft f' the evaporatioll of its watery part, I
cerclude that ha gathered oely,in one morning, afters warm
gay, it the same ratio that they gather opium in the East ha_
g. The:thave no rain in India during the season of ga-
thering opium, and Mr. Kerr says, that there, one acre of
eoppiee yields 60 Id. of•Opienn
nbsereations, cullected from Jone's'e paper to
the Society:of Arttesishould be kept in view, as they may help
to illustrate one of the olijects of this Essav, and confirm the
superiority of my method of colltestini opiunciti Britain.
Hr. Ifiresison, who.was. for seine tinie Inspector of Opines
in Itencel, is the only other person, as far as I knots, who has
-gtren en aceffunt of the result of his 'experiments for making
' .4yruest in this,country. Although; he was nut, the first who
•

11411infrefttary .Reports, 23; . „
t Obseryhtioos and Inquirres, rol. r, art.l3.
Z Transactions of Sncirty of Arts, Vol. xri, p. 273„ •
Awaiditates Exotic*, Fas. 3, Obs. t 4.

ectllectea the milky juice of the 'ritips,lll 'fistia -slate, it Is
supposed he is the first, who, in this country, has given the
preference to that mode. Dr. Alston collected the
juice in the fluid-state according to Dioscorides,* aun also in
the Persian way described by Exinpfer, from several valleties
of the poppy. sf-I.e also colletted the true tear, as he calls it,
by cutting off;the star irons several of the heads, bending
them down, anal •serflerin4 the" nnlk to drop int it, a tea.-sup ;
yet he says that he collected niore by the Persian way than by
that described by Dioscorides.
The instrument used by T)r. Howison for wounding the
poppy-heads, consists of a, brass ring, .made, to tit the middle
finger of the operatore'in which is: fixed a wheel set with
lancets,-which, when put iti motion tiy drawing the hand
along the 'poppy head, makes with great •expetlitissit what--
'ever number of perforationsare.Waoted, each giviog out its
distinct drop .of by which a great surface is afforded
bolls for suitpost and evaporation, and the flowing milk is pre-
vented. from running upon the ground, the unavoidable eon.;
sequence
.of the itieshod,formeely,istose. And for gathering
ibe he.einpli,ys" a tin dash, flattened at the month
aboukhalf an inch, with winch he scrapes,off thsrapium. Ily
means of theie instruments, Dr. HoWison obtained a cake 4is
opium that weighed ,s/ oz., and which was collected from a
field nr p.ppies measuring :shout fire falls, which is att he
rate ...if 17 lb. *weight of opium per acre.-
'Pr rio.vison's pancturttig Morton-0 and collecting flask,
inay certainly lit: coosiilered as a material improveirreat upon
the Hir.shio instrionenti, ;Ind he {mind that they answered
his purpose to a certain extent in gathering Opium from the
-gassiest popny., But when the unevenness.tilion Ilse surface
of tins capsules of tise'y bite poplin is coaiderosl, it will he
found impassitile to adapt the wools 'of the flask so as to col,
iect. the whiffle of "the juice without materially injuring the
capsule, and ,ouch of the juice would still remanent the inter-
stices of thetitiges, which ate balite most Inlet fatted upon
the tap.tiles 9f the whit, poppy. Besides, ;lir juice very soon
acquires a rop'eless, and allie;es to the annals of the flash,
viti Is must interrupt thegathering, and there isdt chance of
the juice being spilt by having toe dash suspended to ths::bosly
attic. eailterer.
lilt flowisois has stated several objections to the eultiva-
time of the • large white poppy in ibises:wary, and has given
the preference to the sionte'r eed 'gal-Elvis poppy and its ,varie
ties. Hr says that tire white poppy,. fruit its large head and
very considerable height, is of all (olives the most liable to be
• hurt by winds; and Unless they be cultivated iii is sheltered
situatimi, feef.will be fnutid standing when t he seasotofor gas
inn iso4 tire Uplift!' arrives. '.Brit independent of this, he says,
that itmevrr arrives at such perftction,in this climate ;Is to
yield stii[li of proper Etinsisteece for making good Opium, and
that the few that dis'eNirse twalford milk, continue ni that
state (ally for a day, and, ally attempt to bleed them a little
shutter or, later would he without success.
Mr. ferr,-1- however, inforsils us. that the large white Pup-
py grows in Britain, withwit care; to he a much statel,er
plain. than r: does in India.
with .the utmost art; Dr.
Alston, 'atter connuentiug -tsp,in the coetruversy, whether
Opium is got trEMI the white poppy or trom theblack, con-
etades th.tt, as a medicine, -it is .1)10 consequence whether
it be When from the one or flan: the other. Dr. cruoir also
Observes that the white t'ariety is to •be 'prefer' ed, as atritd-
ing Opium in greater quantity than ;my of the rest,and theca
can be no doubt that this puppy yields the large stand must
juicy hears.
Dr. Howisou has stated that 200,004 lb. of Opium are made
annually in Bengal ; and that notwithstanding all the care
that is taken in collecting it, one third of the crop is lost ; but
there is reason to believe, that the waste is much greater than
lie'suppuses. 'For in whatever way the itseistousare made,
the milky. juice instantly flows in a wasteful stream, and by
running Loom the ground or upon the leaves, one third of the
crop at least must he lost before Ilse gathering commences in
the morning. la tisk climate", lie retniteks, where the set VIICSI.
day is often followed by a :tight of deluging rain, the adop-
tion of the Bengal method would be worst than trusting our
fortime to the chance of a lottery.
Although Howison was convinced that the juice of the
poppy undergoes no change its its pi operties by exposute to
the air, farther than acquiring a greater consistence firm
the evaporation-of its watery part, be states in amither
' that in Bengal, where there is no rain during the Opium
gathering season,.the custom of allowiag the milk, to flitches'
*thy remaining for suture time on the capsule, is highly
judi-
cious. While, in another part of Isis account he admits that
that Custom is the wily reason why they lose one-third of
their crop. •
Supposing that 200;001 lb. of opium give the 'East India
'Company iOO,OOOl. sterling annoally, by Dr.'Howisost!s ac-
count they lose more that' 30,0001. But were the loss (silly
to amount to half that sum, sufficient importance, it is 0, lie
supposed, would be attached tothe means by which such a
saying could be effected.
Mr. Kerr states, that there are about (700,000 Its. of Opium
annually exported from the Ganges, independent of what is
consumed in the interior. He also states, that it is frequently
mixed with cow-dung, with the extract obtained by boiling
the plants, and with other additions winch ate kept secret.—
It is, indeed, frequently so nitwit ailulterated, that consider-
able quantities arc burnt at Alalcutta by
.order of the Go-
vernment.
In the summer of 1817, [cultivated "a small field of pop-
pies,
.cotitflissing about 20,000. plants of the Papater sontiti-
ferom of Litsniens, out of which• I selected two beds, tura-
ing one tall and fourteen square yards, fur the purpose of
asceitarning what quaotity ist Opium it would produce. I
collected the Opium from that part selected for the experi-
ment myself, while the rest of the etop wag gathered by she
people 1 employed. I collected as"lnuels of the milky juice as
Was equal to 1 drachm of solid 'Opium in Use space of an
hour; but as my professional aVocations prevented use from
regularly superintending the people at work, they did not
Bathes' so much as 1 expected. I ascertained, however, that
they could gaits( r at the rate of 1 drachm in the hour.
I had eny poppies Sown in three different ways. The first
brow] cast upon beds three feet wide with 1111 alley between,
and this out. Its the distance of four and five niches, when
the plants were about two inches high abovet be gtound. he
sectirol on beds three feet wide, to rows, six rows to 711,c(1,
and six inches between the plants. The third on the.spaces
between rows of asparagus, two rows of pOpuies on each
.space, eight niches between each row, and six inches between
the plants; two feet four inches between each double row of
puppies being occupied by the asparagus.
The first produced only one capsule,,, the second •two, and
the thisd three capsules per plants .
• Haring ascertained that the white poppy, when cultivated
upon the wole ill" plan that 1 have adopted, not only yields
More capsules, brit much larger ones than when cultivated in
the briastl-cast. way, or in close, rows, it is evident there must
be, a great saving of labour, for it will lithe as much time to
gatber the -juice from a Small head, as it would do to collect
hbree times the quantity uf..jnice from a large•hrad.
The plants between the asparagus rents having more room
to grow, had nut only more capsules, lent they were much
larger than those sawn broad-cast, (rein-beds its close rows
and as early potatoes, cultivated in a piece of ground adjoin-
ing my crop, were sold for a high price before my plants began
to !braver, I proposed the following year to have, ley this inside
of miltore, the same qu'intity of Opium with a crop of early
pistatoes, 351' I obtained from an equal measurement of ground,n
where there was notiling,but poppies. ".
Accordingly, in 1818 1 selected a piece of ground in the
highest state uf 'ctiltiration, well manures! will' horse dung,
in Which I planted . early -potatoes, iu rows four feet wide.—
Furrows were first drawn; its these furrows the dung was
laid; then the sets wet e dropped 'wn the dung, about nine
inches asunder, and cove-Led by the [sue. 'flue potatoes west!
planted ;be first week of February ;- and the poppies were
sown about the tnicrelle of Apt il, on the mithllt space between
the potatoe rows, twO -roes, of poppies on each spty:e, and
twelee inches between the rows. When the., poppy plants
were about-two istelk's abuse the, utmost, they were at first
thinned out by the law, and astern by the fingers, to the
distance, of eight inelre4 betWeeti
I•riAed 1 croP''cirearlY Piitatciesequal to :.36
ilolt.•per acre. Alt Iseratisii-the .potalteeS will be ready for jai-
media,te use before, the• gattK6us of opium commences, the
whole crop wilt !tot/. I,E• entirely ripiilieir lifting till after the
°Pious ik-Colfeeted:•;The early-potitstoe 'gives.out 'hut a small
stem,.but where..the soil is rich, some of thelo• ma)* e4d in
• Ilse areas, yet they can be
.easily pushed over to one side, so
as to allow tlic,Ofiiunt'gattierers to walk along the areas•witit
out trampling' upon tbent.' •
'file ;distil nee lietween the poppy platuß being wider than
last ytiv:, upon an average they produced four full grown cap-
soles 'each; 'arid some of them' produced seven' or eight cap-
&isles ; -and
.1 gathered-this season at t hi. rate of two drachms
Of solid Opium in one ,hour, wlnle,, by
.the same method of
•,gathering, I could not coirbct noire than uric drachai in the
attune last year. • - •
Supposing one acre haul been cultivated .in the state man-
neras that piece of ground oa which my experiment was
made, the produce in th-J. case Would have Ise6l eqieal to 57
lb. 9 411. 4 dr..aild 48• gr. of solid Opium, which is just twice
as niuels as L collected the year. before. But the season of
1818 being so much more favourable than the preceding year,
will in a great measure account fur I he-sUccess of this expes
wort. ..,Tbereforei the quantity of Opium that may be cad.
lected depends grc.arty upon, the season ; yet,t he comparative
view of the resu't of the experiment made in LW, although,

•
PapaverVsativii et sylvestri, lib. it cap. G. 5, P. 497'
t Edin Med. Essay, cof. v, p. 103.
Lend. Med. Observ., vol. v, p. 841.

the s'etMil AtnlSTNlrettel utif)ieZottNe, I's .suircietit to prone
that my method of extracting and gathering °pions has a de-
cided advantage over any other that has been recommended.
As toy poppies %%fee sowif
.:abont, the middle of April, they
were ready for bleeding about the middle of July.
'1 he Instrumentwhieit 1 used fit making the incisions cent-
"sisted of :two convex edged scalpels,. tie blades of which were
-covered- with sealing wax, except alapot one-sixteenth part of
All inch of the edgc and heing wound round Am, handles with
waxechtliivadr,tbe No . %eve fastetted', togethek,with otjter
thread twisted round them; antftlits. heldlittlerliMara. lof
about half an inch between each blade. It is obvious that
the blades are coverid.with,.seatlng-wax 'for the purpose of
preventing the knife front penetrating the cavity of the cap-
sules ; audit can be easily removed- and applied again, when
the knives require to he sharpened: or the blades way be
mounted' with a meta! sheath or guard.for this purpose.
With this- instrument I make one or more double iileisions,
according to the size oltlitteail, at f'...si longitudinally, and
afterwards obliqor-ty upwards ftion the stalk. ,
i When the capsule is softie.): ntly scarified in the manner de-
scribed, I then cut off,. whit a sharp scalpel, the capit &bun or,
Star, with a thin slice of the external .tint round it, and by
this last incision I obtain more juice than front a scarification
upon the side of the head. -,. •7 ,
It is toy metbod. of gathering the mirky juice of the poppy
in the fLid state, that differs, materiallY hint) any other that
ha: been used, and it is on that account that 1 have hi eat, more
successful thatvany other that,has tried the experiment: ,- ,
In toy communication to Dr. Dpican relative to lactocaritun
'or Lettuce-01)1nm, published .itt the second edition of his
XThservatiuns on Pulmonary Consumption, I proposed to
gather. the Opinm by means of a spoogr.. But when I began
to c')llvel 91duin, in that way, -I soon found that it would. not
do, for although the sponge temuves- t he' j nice mote effec-
tually t ban site flack proposed by Dr. I-Jowison, it ,eannot he
agaitr entirely 4'x:tressed, because the sponge decomposes or
separates the compom nt principres ot the milli) juice, and
ilie'resinous part itillwrea to.) he. sponge, and soun clogs its
pores. Iliterefore adopted-the. :use.of a small common,hair
uru.s.l) used It painters, and known to the trade'hy the name
of Susldool, which it HS W t FA the purpose most completely, and
With wlich 1 gatheted the milky juice, even though some of
the plantS were It-tidily wind and rain, 55 veeltas'if they had
lieet).st.lsikdiog erect. :1)1.11
I used a camel-hairst), but found
the sinn`e,Olijection it) it as to the svoL:e. The 6OintOon Sash-
tool, rounded a littk'itt. the 'milli, without being ground; is
that which I ureter, - . .
For the sake of experiment, I exposed' myself one morning
to 'i 51,,.. er of rain for half an hour, while making the inci-
sions • and gathering- the Opium, and su;-ceedril at well' as
Who» there. was no r.iin, without any other inconvenience
than being %vvt, and having alt additional qualitily of water
whit the °Plum-.
When the brush is sotticientipcharged with jojce.. I scrape
lit rtilt upon the slip of tin fixed in the nnattlt of a tin ft!sa,
. listened to the Ititst ~f the' gatherer' by straps, through
the holes, and capable of holding More stunt a day's eat tiering%
• 'rite gatherers follow the Ideudt.rs .ioiructliately. ()tie
bleeder .Mill occupy two gatherers, tool if he be very expest
at using the knife, he may keep three gatherers.eonstantly
employed. When I pet formed hot Iroperat ions myself, Litchi
the knife between the thumb, fore ..and, middle fingers, and
the bruclisbetween the ring and little fittgers.of the sight hand,
while I held the poppy-by the stall: with the left hand. ' .
'The juice is afterwards formed into cakes or balls by spot)
taireous -evaporation in shallow earthen dishes, placed in a
clo-e room, stirring it occasionally during tbe evaporation of
its watery part, to be afterwards kept its bladders.
The operation for gathering cannot he repeat,d wiol
,ad_
vantage oftener limn three lillieS a Weeli, alai!) the same
capsules, for to) more juice will lion front one Nyolllll.l than
What may be Collett ed trnmediate',y, and a cet Lint time must
elapse'before the, plant forms more juice. Bot it is evident a
number of hands may be kept constantly employed upon a
large. field, till the plants cease to:give out juice.
One 'acre will keep twelve, gat het ers atitl. six cutters con-
stantly employed for thirty days. That numrter can only
gather a third part of an acre in one day, and by the time
they have gone through the crop, the 'capsules at-that ',tact..
. where they began to gather, will be ready fat the operation
being repeated. • So that wheist he milky joke ceases to flow,
tire operations, as already .described, .will 'have beep made
upon each capsule.
Supposing twelve gatherers to work ten hours in the day,
met that T each 'gathers two ounces and a. half, or as lunch of
the juice as trill make that quantity of solid Opitmt ; in thirty
days they will gather fifty-Six pounds of Opines from Mr; acre.
- One-acre of poppies cultivated aceowding to my met bud, will
yield 1,000 lb. of seed, :end this quantity of seed will give by
emir, scion 375 lb. of oil. . .
Although the prmlove of such a crop has not yet been
clearly ascertained ilium a large scale, the following may be
taken HS the estimate of one 'acre, from what has actually
been produced in my experintet,t—, .
Est imatedvalue of the produce of one acre, L. s.
1.
100 6 0
56 II). Opium, at Ms
36 !mils early potatoes, at 2.1 s -13 4 0
2.50 11), of oil, cold 'drawn, at Is. 6d.
125 II). ditto warm, at Gd.
500 oil takes, at Iris: per 100 . ...

penees

170 7 6
(30 0 0

Tula) of profit ito 7 ti

Or it may he taken this ‘4.ly,
56 lb of Opium, at 17s. Gd.
•
36 bolls of potators, a! 245. 43 4 0
250 lb. of oil, cold drawn, at Is. Gd.
125 lb. ditto warm, at Gd.
500 oil cakes, at 18s. per 100 4 10 0

118 II 6
CO 0 0

Expenceq

Profit .

53 I I 6

Opium costs the Wholesale Druggist in London at this time
(May, 1849) 17s. 6d. per lb., which, with a duty of
per lb. thalies it 11. Gs. 6d.; and they charge the Apothecaries
Sos. per lb., which is the present London price of the article.
The London pritie of Opium varies so touch, that about 19.
years ago, it was as high as 84i. per lb., and it seldom fails
so low as ‘24s.
If the. crop •can he got off the gronnd by tha*middle of
August, it is proposed to have a second -crop of potatoes or
•turnips, which will give, it is supposed, about 801. more. •
Comparative View of the experiments of Messrs. Bail, Howi-
son and Young, for ascertaining- what gnaw it y of Opium
migkt be pr,pared in Britain.
lb. oz. dr. gr.

. .
Mr. Ball, from 576 square feel, or I HI and
28 square yards, obtained ahout . 0 4 0 0
Dr. Ilowison from about tire falls, ohtaioed
In 1817, from 1 fall and 14 square yards, con-
taining-1,800 plants, I obtained
According to Mr. Ball's method, 1 tall produced
2 ounces and. 2 drachms, or per arie ee 8., 0 0
ACeording to Dr. litvison'i method, 1 fall pro-
duced 1 ounce, 5 drachms, and 36 grains, or ' ..
per acre . 17 0 0 0
By may method, I fall prt;duced 2 ounces, 7
drachms, 2 grains, and 2-51hs, or per acre 23 12 624
In 181 S, front 1 fall I obtained 5 ounces, 6 •
di acbms, 4 grains, and more, or per acre 57 9 448

04 0 0

CERTIFICATES.
F.dinhurgh,Dee. 22, 1817.,
• DEAR Si R,—During the-course of last suni:ner I repeatedly
visited your plantation of poppies, fur Ihe manufacture of
Opium, in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh.
I admired vrry much the method that was followed fir
collecting the Opium frOm the plants. Fur, your plan,
the veil great inconvenience, ‘,1)10) arises from the tinsteasli-
'less of our climate., if the Bengal method 01 collection, re-
comnieuded by Dr.
Howisott in the Slenniirs of the Caledo-
niapliorticuitural Society, be adopted, is completely ob-
viated. . . .

. . .
have lately prescribed your Opium to many different pa-
-twills both in pit ra4e and hospital practice, with the hest
effects.
_1 have particularly prescribed what.you put into my
bands to 'several patients in the clinical wards of the Royal
Infirmary, and, as I was inclined to infer front its appearance,
I hare found it.remarliably efficacious, in no degree inferior
to the best Turkey Opium. I have, therefore, no doubt in
considering your plan as an improvement in the arts, which
may he adopted with great advantage in Britain.
I am, Sir,
&c. &c.&x.
- • ANDREW DUNCAN, Sen. M. D. P.
•
John Young, Esq. Surgeon, Ellin. Physician, Ellin,

!loyal Infirmary, Edinhnrgh, April 20,1118.
DEAR Sf'—Dllfing the last year I have frequently admi-
nistered the 0111t1114.made by you to patients in the Royal In-
firmary, alai it gives we much pleasure to report to you. that
I have found it produce the same effects as We best foreign
preparation of- the medicine, and I think that a smaller quan-
tity is-necessary than of the ForeiCgtt
I atn. Sir,'
&r. &c. &c.
A. GILL E 91,11,..

John Young, Esq. Surgeon.

Aft°

THEATRICAL RECIIST ?JR
. ,
Performed Last 4\7,-1.44
THrATaa P.A.VAL, 2-IXTITAIMET.—Iidy Ilasmeriil.
wltialt, Vortune's Frolic. ct Toti dl
TnEATne ItoYAL., ENGLISH Oi'Elt.l pousE.—The —s-
Trend:. After which, 'llic Vampire.
\ I(kWRICE .OF, sTocKs- s'• 4ti''
,
, r -3.-,.:4llCarlatt 4DA.:17 ,ICT t.;1.1".t. p-cf.,36c,st. is
rper Cent. Cons... 67ii/'' %until :.ica Stock .. ........ 7-1,,1f.
6 per Ct. Navy Aim. 103 i 10,1 Lx, 131 Is, 2d....... 23. 19.(1)3.
G
India Stuck - 211'1 L
India Builds ... : 193. :Ws. pr. Cwis. tof Account, ...• 701

- MAIL ,•;.• • ••••--.':' • E.
Autityl:l,-1 Dublin, LV.orriiu.l- Prance, I Leovar

islands., •
tit:F.—l Waterford, 1 'Guttetiburgh Harnburgb,

-UGH WX!'E AT LONDON 111111),GE TO-MORIts-
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