292 



Inferior useful 

 for lamps, and 

 other purposes. 



Cakes equal to 

 linseed for cat- 

 tle. 



Stems make 

 fodder or ma- 

 nure. 



Frofit of thif 

 culture. 



Produce of 

 seed. 



CULTURE OF THE POPPY FOR OIL. 



The second-drawn oils are of a deeper colour, and are ap- 

 plicable to all the purposes of the more common oils. This 

 may even be used as lamp oil ; and it is alleged, that it does 

 not give off so large a quantity of smoak, and emits a 

 brighter flame. 



The oil-cakes are peculiarly serviceable for feeding and 

 fattening of cattle: being deemed equal to linseed cakes. 

 All cattle are very fond of it, and eat it with eagerness^ 

 This is the constant use of it in Brabant. The stems art 

 sometimes used for fodder, containing a considerable quan- 

 tity of nutritive oils ; or mixed with stable dung and other 

 manures, they enrich their quality. 



Expenses) produce) and profits* Concerning these arti- 

 cles it will be necessary to be particular, though it is some- 

 what difficult from a difference in the current coins, mea- 

 sures, &c. I shall state the result of experiments made on 

 three hundred roedenf , about one acre, of a sandy soil, and 

 three hundred roeden of a heavy peat, made by a claimant 

 named S. N. Van Eys. The peat land being low and hu- 

 mid, he was obliged to make deep trenches between the 

 beds. The harvest on this soil was later, the poppy heads 

 were not so dry when gathered, and they shrunk considera- 

 bly in drying. There was so small a difference in the quan- 

 tity of seed from these different soils, that no important 

 preference could be given. The sand ground yielded in 

 this instance rather less than the peat land. As the quality 

 of the seeds appeared perfectly similar, he mixed the whole 

 produce together, when he sent them to the oil mills. 



The produce of the sand ground rather exceeded 13 sacks, 

 that of the vecn or peat land, was about 12 sacks: together 

 they made 25 sacks, 1 bushel of seed. These yielded oil in 

 the following proportions : — 



Two inferences may be drawn from the above information. Our best 

 oils, though imported from Italy, are probably of the growth of Pro- 

 vence ; and it is still more probable that the inferior sorts could not be 

 afforded, even at the present price, v ithout a larg- mixture of iho poppy otf. 



f The English statute acre is 160 square perches; and the Dutch 

 morge, consisting of GOO roeden, is equal to 300 square perches : so that 

 the difference between a Dutch morge and two acres, is as 300 to S20, 

 the former being only 20 perches less than two acres. 



23 sacks 



