CULTURE OF THE POPPY FOR OIL. g8<) 



ously most congenial to its nature. The richer the soil, and 

 the clearer from weeds, the larger will be the crop. It is not 

 so advisable, however, to manure for the poppy, as for the Management, 

 crop preceding it, as it is more exposed to injury by weeds. 

 Hence it succeeds the best after carrots, cabbage, potatoes, 

 &c. The land was generally prepared by the spade, ns in 

 planting potatoes; and the finer it is worked the greater the 

 advantage. But when it is cultivated to a great extent, they 

 use the plough. The seed has generally been sown broad- 

 cast, the plants thinned, and weeded afterwards, as in the cul- 

 ture of turnips ; but in drills it is sown about six or eight in- 

 ches distant in the rows, which has been strongly recom- 

 mended ; experiments upon a small scale having manifested a 

 superiority in this mode. 



The Kind and Quantity of Seed. Although the white What kind 

 poppy has been chiefly used in Trance and Brabant, under the 

 supposition that it produced the finest oil, yet it has been 

 found that various other kinds will answer the purpose as 

 well. It is even asserted that the blue poppy, while it yields 

 the largest quantity of seed, is in no respect inferior in the 

 quality of the oil. Admiral Kingsbergen, whose private vir- 

 tues render him no less a favourite with his countrymen, than 

 his skill and courage as a naval officer, instituted an experi- 

 ment with different kinds of seeds in the same soil, and he 

 could not perceive any difference in the quality of the oil, 

 while the seeds of the blue poppy yielded considerably more. 



The quantity of seed generally used in the broad-cast has Quantity of 

 been after the rate of 2 lbs. to an English acre. In drills seed * 

 a less proportion has been used. 



Time of sowing. This is from the middle of March to the Seed time, 

 middle of April. If it be sown much earlier, it is more likely 

 to be choked by weeds; if later, the harvest will be thrown 

 deep into the autumn ; and unless the weather be unusually 

 favourable, the seeds will not ripen kindly. 



Weeding, As soon as the plants appear about two inches Weeding ne- 

 above the ground, they must be carefully weeded and thinned, cessary. 

 till they stand about seven or eight inches from each 

 other. The weeding to be repeated as often as it shall appear 

 necessary. 



Vol. XIX— April, 1808- U Harvest. 



