The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-01
oP1UM-eRowING IN CHINA.
Difficulties of It's Culture Do Not Re-
buff the Natives.
From the London Time.


An extremely interesting section of the
last British consular report from Wen
chow is devoted to native opium. 1t APP
pears that in the province of Cheklang
opium was first manufactured in the pre-
lecture of Tai-chow, lying between Wen
chow and NingpO, whence the still com
mon name of Tai-chow paste" The
poppy next began to be grown for opium
in other procedures as well, WenchOw
among them, but for considerable time it
was customary to hire Tai-chow men TO
collect and prepare the juice. Their mo-
nOpoly of opium harvesting sent up their
wages and checked cultivation until such
time as Wenchow hands learned the Sc
cret Nowadays the services of Tai-chow
men are not required, but Tai-chOw opium
keeps its old prominence.
In 1879, owing to the appalling famine
IN Shansi the PeIin government rigOr-
OuSly interdicted the cultivation of opium
on the ground that it interfered with the
growth of foodstuffs. Farmers were
afraid to run the risk of cOnfiscatiOn of
their lands-the penalty of disObedience-
and for the next few years the production
of native opium was very slight. Grad
ually the officials whose proclamation had
caused the panic were transferred to
other posts and the farmers, seeing that
lAO uGN pLOulDlLIOuS were lS5utb, LOOK
heart and resumed more and more eagerly
the cultivation of the poppy. Each wear
the amount produced increased, until
in 1887 the supply became greater than
the demand, and growers lost.
Prices Of native opium vary according
as II is old or new, pure or aduterated
The new" opium of this season when
first put on the market sold at SAP los
per pioul of 1884, pounds. The dealers
have hitherto been nearly all F'ukin men.
They purchase the crude opium in quanti-
ties however small and boil it down there
and then. The opium thus prepared is
made up into balls of the weight of Patna.
-four pounds each) or is stored in casks
holding about &c pounds. 1t finds its sale
chiefly in Fukien province, but certain
quantity is carried over into FOrmosa.
Large quantities pay native duty, or
likin, or both, but small quantities are
easily Struggled. The likin authorities OF
Chekiang, observing that a great deal
passed the frontier on which no duty was
paid established special opium likln
offices, but they are not very effective as
hindrance to smuggling
The difficulties in the way of opium
growing are enumerated thus: First
The fields require twice the manure
needed for dry grains or cotton. Second
Wet and stormy weather when the
heads are forming causes the capsules to
drOOp and the roots to rot. Third-The
juice must be collected the moment it is
ready, yet it cannot be gathered in bla-
Zing sunshine or during storms; dull days,
or days when light rain is falling, are
good, and best of all are moonlight nights.
FOurth-Laborers engaged to collect the
juice require to be paid even if the
weather prevents their employment
The method of collecting the Juice in
Wenchow is for one man to slice, with a
downward stroke, the skin of each cap
sule, while several other men 20 round
with bamboo scoops to scrape off the Juice
that thereupon exudes. No capsule is
sliced twice on the same day, and the
largest capsule will only bear six slicings.
Moreover, the Juice of the first two sill
cings is far better than that of the latter
ones. In fact. the wealthy farmers put
aside the juice so collected, and, after
drying it several days in the sun, store it
away i'll the shells of goose eggs in some
dark place for three years. 1t is sid to
be then superior to any Indian drug
Native opium i'll any case should never be
used in the first year; AZ the very least
summer should be allowed to pass.
The best land for poppy growing is the
slightly brackish, but even that is only
good for two years. A NOW (say 800
square YARDS .will yield upward of four
pounds avOirdupois of juice if well ma
nured and if the plants are carefully
thinned out. A medium crop is two thirds
of a pound where the capsules have only
taken four slicings. But it will some
times happen that in spite of all care and
on the best land the capsules yield no
ODiUm