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When the plants are two inches high the land is weeded and 

 the seedlings are thinned, the retained plants being about three 

 or four inches apart. A fortnight later the field is again weeded 

 and the weakest plants are removed, those that are allowed to re- 

 main being seven or eight inches from each other. 



In dry districts the plants must be irrigated about once a fort- 

 night. 



Flowering, collecting the petals. — The plants take from 75 to 80 

 days from germination to reach the flowering stage. The petals 

 are gently removed when fully matured, which is on the third day 

 after expansion. These petals constitute the " flower leaves" of 

 the manufacturers and are employed in the outer casing of the 

 opium balls or cakes. 



Collecting the juice. — The following is the Indian method. In the 

 course of eight or ten days after gathering the petals, the capsules 

 are sufficiently advanced for the extraction of the juice. Super- 

 ficial, horizontal or diagonal incisions are made into the capsules 

 as they successively advance to maturity, each capsule receiving 

 from four to six incisions according to its size, a special in- 

 strument called a " nushtar" in India, being used for this purpose. 

 This operation is best performed in the afternoons or evenings. 

 The milky opium sap thus directed outwards is scraped off next 

 morning into a shallow cup and allowed to dry in a place av/ay 

 from sunlight. When fresh the juice is pinkish, but below it there 

 is a dark fluid like coffee, called " pussewah" in India. The vessel 

 in which the collected juice is placed is slightly tilted to allow the 

 pussewah to drain off into a covered jar. 



The opium is turned every few days for three weeks or a month 

 to ensure a uniform dryness. The drug, as prepared by the Indian 

 Government, is tested by subjecting a small weighed quantity to a 

 temperature of 200° F., when after everything volatile has been 

 driven off, if it leaves a residue of 70 per cent, it is known as 

 standard opium. 



The opium is now put in wooden boxes, each holding ten cwts. 

 and occasionally stirred up until it reaches the proper consistence. 



It here becomes covered with a thin blackish crust, which 

 deepens by the exposure to the air and light. If it is of a low 

 consistence it is placed in shallow drawers and constantly turned 

 till it reaches the quality of standard opium. The opium is then 

 cut into pieces of twenty pounds in weight, thrown into shallow 

 wooden drawers and thoroughly kneaded. It is then put in large 

 cisterns and receives a further kneading by men who wade through 

 it knee-deep. 



Packing. — The petals which were gathered from the expanded 

 flowers are damped overnight to make them pliant. Some of 

 these " flower leaves" are placed in a brass cup and glued together 

 with a mixture called " lewah," composed of inferior opium, 

 " pussdwah," and the washings of pots which have contained 



