KEAV GAKDEN MUSEUM. 21 



to escape, and the cake again tightly closed. " On the evening of the 

 third day it is placed (still contained in its cnp) in the cake frames, 

 which are formed of open battens, and allow of a free circulation of air 

 about the cakes. The average number of cakes made by a single man, 

 in one day, is about 70 ; but there are cake-makers who will turn out 

 as many as 90 or 100 cakes, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The number 

 of cakes made daily in the factory, during the manufacturing season, is 

 from 6500 to 7000, and the total number of cakes manufactured, during 

 the present season, has been 426,800. 



"By the end of July the manufactuiing is finished, but the cakes still 

 require much attention ; they are constantly turned over in their cups, 

 and, as mildew collects on then- surfaces, it is removed by rolling and 

 rubbing them in dry poppy trash. They are moreover individuaUy exa- 

 mined, and those which present weak points are strengthened by the 

 application of extra leaves ; and their appearance is moreover improved 

 by the application of a single leaf of the first quaHty, which, being of 

 large dimensions, and carefully and equally made, covers the grelter 

 portion of the surface of the cake, and gives to it a smooth and finished 

 appearance. 



"By October the cakes have become perfectly dry to the touch, and 

 have acquired considerable solidity ; and they are now packed in chests, 

 each of which is furnished with a double tier of wooden partitions, each 

 tier presenting twenty square compartments, for the reception of so 

 many cakes, and in which the cakes are steadied by means of loose 

 poppy trasli, with which all the interstices are filled. 



It might be supposed that so fragile a structure as the poppy petal 

 would furnish but an insecure packing envelope; but the shells of tl^e 

 Opium cakes are possessed of more resistance than might be imagined, 

 and, owing apparently to some antiseptic property in the lewah, they 

 are capable (after once being thoroughly dried) of being preserved for 



h of time. For three or four months after manufacture, 

 the shells require constant care and attention ; and even after being 

 packed, any exposure to damp or moisture subjects them to injury. 

 After a certain lapse of time however, the" Opium contained in the cake 

 ceases to yield any more moisture to the shell, and this latter acquires 

 extreme solidity. There are three specimen cakes in the Ghazeepore 

 factory, some fifteen years old; they are as solid as balls of wood, and 

 may be thrown from a height upon a stone floor without injury. 



ft 



