The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-27

This requires great skill, as tho Yield
greatly depends on tho exactness Of tl1ia
operation. The opium farmer and his as
s1stants go about armed with a small Ian
cet-like affair which is provided with
three or four short, sharp prongs. With
this half dozen perpendicular cuts ara
made in each capsule or seed pod. The
juice begins to flow at once, but quickly
congeals The day after all the thickened
Juice is carefully gathered, being soraped
off with small iron trowel expressly
made for this purpose.
The mass thus gathered is put into an
earthen vessel and kept carefully stirred
for a month or more, great core being
taken to have It we'll aired, but not ex-
posed to the SUM- This finished. the opium
examiner comes along with his assistant,
an expert tester. These two pass upon
the grade produced, and when this Is done
the whole is put into a large box. Now
1t is worked very much in the same fash
ion as bakers dough, to give 1t the re-
CURED consistency. After this operation
is finished the opium is put into balls for
expectation. This is very interesting
sight. The natives wade about in the
large watts containing the paste-like drug
and hand out the stuff to hundreds Of
ballmakers sitting around the room Every
man has a spherical brass cup. lined with
the petals mentioned, before him. Into
this Is pressed the regulation quantity OF
opium. From this brass cup, when prop
erly pressed, the opium ball is transferred
to another man, who gives it coating Of
clay. This gives the drug, when ready
for shipment, the appearance OF a fair
sized cannon ball. When well prepared
in this manner opium will keep its prop
critics for fifteen years or more.
In this condition it Is as yet raw opium
and unfit for smoking. For some unex-
planned reason the final preparation Of the
drug to make it marketable for smoking
is almost monopoly in the hands of the
Chinese. These people pay an enormous
bonus for this privilege, but their profits
are in proportion. The Chinese seem to
be the most successful in giving this sub
tie drug the finishing touches. There are
large establishments devoted to the prep
aration Of the crude opium. Outside Of
these factories there are pyramids Of
opium balls, which at first glance remind
one far more Of an artillery park than Of
an opium factory. The balls are broken.
and after being removed are remoistened
with little water and allowed to stand
about fourteen hours. They are then put
into pans, two and half balls with ten
pints Of water. After this has boiled for
about ten hours It Is reduced to thin
paste Of uniform consistency. This is then
transferred to larger vessel and allowed
to stand for fifteen hours. Then it Is put
thru great deal of fltering and various
other processes, and finally put over a
brisk fire. At certain period it is quick
ly taken away from the fire and vigorously
stirred until cold. the cooling being ac-
CELEBRATED by coolies with large fans When
quite cold 1t Is taken to special room and
! kept there for some months before it IS
considered in prime condition for smoking
Prepared this way the opium Is Of the
consistency Of very thick syrup. It Is
put up in small boxes or Jars Of graduated
weights to suit the customers. All such
j "a &c fHa olvays
stamped on each package. In this condi-
ton the drug is exceedingly valuable, and
all the employees are searched for hidden
| opium before they leave the factory.