The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-03-06
HORRORS IN THE POPPY.
THE ANCIENT MANUFACTURE
OF OPIUM.
o3s Medicinal Properties Were Known to Man
More Than Two Thousand Years Ago
Its Origin was in the Southwest
Part Of Asia

Opium had Its origin somewhere in
Southwest Asia The medicinal prop
critics it possesses were recognized
from a very ancient period. Two
thousand years ago and for some time
aater, it was customary to extract the
drug from the entire plant. From the
first to the twelfth century the only
opium known to commerce was
that produced in Asia Minor. The
poppy was carried to India by the
spread of Mohammedanism. and in
the province of Benga and Midway
the growing of it became subsequently
a proprietary right of the great mo-
gul, who regularly farmed out the
privilege.
The plant was introduced to China
Ny the Arabs later on. In India, how
lover the monopoly of its cultivation
passed in 1857 into the hands of the
East India company through Lord
4Clive's victory at Plassey. From that
time to this opium has been an enor-
mous source OF revenue to England
from India. The emperor of China
tried his best to exclude its exporta-
ton to his kingdom. even issuing
edicts against the smoking of opium,
disobedience of which was punishable
by transportation or death. Never
theless, SO rapidly did the vice spread
In the Flowery Land that, whereas up
to nearly the close of the eighteenth
century the importation of opium
from India into China amounted to
only POO chests by 1920 it had amount
ed to 1900 chests.
In 1889 the Chinese made procla-
nation threatening hostilities in case
Euglish opium ships serving as de
pots for the drug were not sent away.
AT the same time 1900 chestfuls were
seized and destroyed. Each chest con-
tanned about $50 pounds and the en-
tire value of the merchandise thus
wiped out was about 10000. 600. The
British tried to smuggle cargoes
ashore and war resulted, the outcome
of which was that Great Britain COM
PEELED China, by a treaty signed in
1912, to admit the drug to Celestial
ports. From that time until to-day,
despite the protests of the Chinese
government, exports OF opium from
India to China have steadily increased.
The better sort, which comes in
balls, is prepared by workmen, each
of whom sits upon stool with brass
cup in front of him. He first lines the
cup with poppy petals to the thickness
of half an inch, the petals being stuck
together with a glutinous substance,
composed of opium refuse and other
things. Then he puts in the middle a
little ball of opium of certain weight,
covering over afterward with more
poppy petals, SO that a round ball is
Horned. The ball-one man can make
about seventy days dried for three
days in the sun, and after the opium
is considered to he entirely cured it is
packed in chests.
The growing of the opium poppy in
China also, however, has been devel-
oped 80 extensively that more than
twice the number of acres are cult
waited with it in Southwestern China
alone as are devoted to the plant in
India. Methods of collecting the
opium vary somewhat, but the usual
plan is to slice the seed-pods delicately
with knives and scrape off the gum
which exudes. This gum is opium.
The eating OF opium has been prac-
ticed from very ancient times. thou gh
chiefly in Asia Minor, India and Per-
STA Smoking the drug is peculiarly
a Chinese vice-so much so, in fact,
that in 1873 it was estimated three out
of every ten of the population OF
China had the habit of ''hitting the
pipe" Wherever the Chinese have
gone they have introduced this inter-
'esting amusement.
In preparing crude opium for smok-
ing it is first removed from the petals,
moistened and boiled in pans for some
hours until it has arrived at the condi-
ton of thin paste. Then a consid-
cradle quantity of water is added, and
the rich brown fluid thus obtained is
drawn off into another receptacle by
syphon process, with lamp wick
made of a sort of pith. Next the
fluid is evaporated by boiling. and
after being removed from the fire is
stirred until cold by coolies who assist
the process with large fans. At the
end of this performance the opium
looks like molasses and is ready to be
sealed up in half-pound cans It is
commonly adulterated with flour,
licorice, clay, pieces of lead and va
-rious gums.