Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1907-03-28


obtained. The soil should be fine
and loose when the seed is sown,
and the subsequent cultivation con-
sists chiefly in thinning and
wedding. In certain localities ir-
rigation is practised. Mild. moist
weather with night dews is con-
sidcred most favorable by the ma
tive growers during the time OF
the collection of the opium. Very
dry weather has been found to di- 7
minish the juice, and heavy rain is
injurious. In India the seed is
sown in the beginning Of Novem-
Der; the plant flowers late in Janu
airy or early in February, and with
in three or four weeks after this
the poppy heads are approximately /
the size of hens eggs and are
ready for the manufacturer. Prior /
to this, however, the fallen petals
of the flowers are carefully gath
cred and sorted according to CON-
dition in three grades. They are
then heated over slow fire, and
formed into thin cakes to be used
for covering the drug in later
stages of its preparation.
The poppy grower now begins
to collect his harvest, and the
first ep in the operation is the
making of number of perpendic-
ular wounds in each poppy head,
. 4. <<,1xn %
the cavity, by means of a small four
or five prongcd iron instrument
called a nushtur. The incising is
, always performed in the afternoon,
| and early on the following morning
the milky juice which has exuded
from the cuts is gathered by scrap
5 ing it off with a small trowel-l1ke
. scoop, called a sittooha. The
! gatherer places the juice in an
ear then vessel, called kurracer,
t and lets it stand, stirring it occa-
e sionally for a period of several
= weeks, until the collector tor the
opium factory visits his village,
y and the opium is weighed, graded,
t and purchased.
: The compound of the opium fac
n tory contains many hundred earth
t en- jars of crude opium, which has
2 been freed by hand of larger impur-
d maund or nearly 81 pounds, and
:. all ser ar lied into lots of a hundred
p Jars. After a rigorous examina-
Y tiol by the superintendent, the
e jars are carried by native work.
e ers to large room containing a
e number of stone cisterns or watts
IS with walls raised about five feet
s above the floor, and with narrow
ia passages between every three OF
10 four watts. The watts each hold 3,
p 100 maunds, or over $50, 900 pound;
TO of opium. Into these watts the jars
rs are emptied. The watts are filled tC
IN the brim with the soft, mahogany
10 colored substance, which here anC
IS theie hardens to glistening crust
,g The jars are scraped out by hand
ct and when broken the shards ar,
nv carefully washed and cleaned, 81
that no speck of the valuable sub
sc stance shall be wasted. The work
- ers enter the watts, and so that the,
J., shall not sink into the opium a
AZ into so much quicksand, the
!, stand upon planks which serve a
:, RATS, and then scoop up brass bias
ms full of the substance and ham
: these to women carriers, who tax
: them to the official weigher. Afte
= being weighed, the opium is thor
"a oughly mixed in shallow watts b
os coolies, who use rake-like nipple
- ments for the purpose. After thi
i it is trampled by the feet of others
III who walk around and around in tn
- watts. Curiously enough, no i'll Ell
49, fects have ever been noticed i
these coolies, who sometimes wal
for periods of four or five hours
"a the opium.
After being mixed thoroughly
- this manner, the OPIUM is above
he to stand for some time, and is the
wn weighed into tin vessels and carrie
en- to the caking room, where 1t
gh packed for the Chinese trad
APP Here the weighers sit in ire
les cages, weighing out opium in ju
opy the right amounts to the packer
I'M, assistants, who carry the pats
of opium on platters to the men wi
ery do the actual packing. Each pack
RS, sits at tench with a brass cup {
ned a tray before him. Near this is
red pat of opium on the platter, a sms
led cup Of liquid opium or lewa, and
of pile of the paneake-iike poppy-ie
oh xvranpers. as well as a tin box Fl