Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-07-07
OPIUM
successful Experiments In its Gull
ture Around Nashville.

successful Experiments I'm its Gull.
ture Around Nashville.
1t gives Us pleasure to be able to state
that this new product is being success
fully snd proftably cultivated by several
gentlemen residing near Nashville, and it
is probable that in short time our State
will be independent of foreign supplies.
DIR. J. W. Morton, of our city, has the
credit of first directing the attention of
our people to the great profits to be real
lied by its culture, and in order to stimu.
late ats growth he sent abroad for seeds
and distributed them gratuitously. In
1870 his crop proved failure, owing to
the lsteness of the planting. Some of
the seed this year he procured from CAL
cutta and some from .Smyrns, for which
ne paid in gold the sum of $14.5 so per
ounce They were obtained through the
ConsaLGeneral, Jacobs. The crop the
present year has been a success. He
will make from fifty to seventy-five
pounds per acre, and viii realizs hand.
some profit from his venture. He is now
offering So as premium for the best
pound of opium grown in Tennessee.
This new enterprise, first inaugurated BY
the gallant Doctor, was followed
up and successfully entered into
by the Rev. Fountain E. Pitts,
who brought to our Office a few
days since some large balls of opium,
free from any authorizations, and looking
unctious enough to make the mouth OF
the opium-eater water. After three
years trial he at last succeeded in secur-
ing the best opium poppy from Smyrna,
Turkey. The seeds he first obtained were
not of the right kind and his crops were
not success. He plants it on good
land and cultivates it much in the same
manner as cotton. When the capsules are
ready to scarify he makes an incision on
one side, and the next evening scrapes
off the gum which has, when first gath
cred, the appearance and consistence of
cream. Incisions are then made on the
opposite sides of the capsules and the
process Of gathering repeated the next
evening. This exhsusts the capsules. A
few hours after the gum is gathered, it
turns first TO dark purple color, which
continues to grow deeper until the char
acteristic opium color is reached.
Mr.. Pitts proposes to sell the seeds of
the poppy with full directions as to the
best manner of cultivating it. One man
can readily cultivate four acres, but it re-
quires several to gather the crop, the
season of gathering is short, lasting only
about two weeks. 1t ripens about the
middle of June.
We congratulate these gentlemen upon
their successful efforts in diyersifying the
agricultural products of the State. 1t
shows enterprise and an earnest deter
mination to strike out for independence
in those products for which our State, by
soil and climate, Is SO admirably fitted to
grow. We hail every man as bene-
factor who can teach US to be self -sus-
tainmg-can teach US to make use of the
riches that a bountiful Providence has
bestowed upon us; and we rejoice to
know that two such earnest workers in
the development of our industrial inter-
ests and natural advantages as Mr.. Pitts
and DR.. Morton are making it yield fair
remuneration for their toll and trouble.
We propose the coming week to give g
full account of opium and its culture, so
that our farmers may know something of
its history, uses, profits, etc.