500 
men of opium produced near Albemarle, Stanley County, North Caro- 
lina, which presented a very fair appearance. The following is Mr. 
Kron’s communication : 
Some four years ago seed of the opium-poppy, originally derived from Turkey, was 
obtained from the Department of Agriculture and has been experimented with here 
‘ever since. Theresults have demonstrated that both our climate and our soil are well 
adapted to the production of either poppy-seed for the manufacture of poppy oil, (huile 
@oliette of the French,) or of opium as good as can be made anywhere. The results 
have ever shown that the plant here is decidedly hardy; contrary to what is stated 
concerning it in the report of our consular agent at Smyrna, in 1869, where it is repre- 
sented as being tender to frost.. Here where the temperature some years falls below 
zero, the seed sown, as in Asia Minor, in the fall, vegetates freely and passes the winter 
safely, to present, in the spring, plants of remarkable vigor, provided with heads which 
are numerous and large, far superior to the plants raised from seed sown in the spring. 
The yield, however, has not thus far been abundant enough to make the culture re- 
munerative. An idea may be formed in that respect from the fact that only 216 grains 
of opium were obtanied from 220 heads. But the quality of the opium produced is 
something superior to anything we can obtainin commerce. It is all opium; none of 
the filth and seed which often constitute three-fifths of the bulk of the opium sent to 
us here. In medicinal properties it will not disappoint the practitioner, but present 
him with all that is expected from the greatest of boons of Providence to suffering 
humanity. 
The sample of opium sent. was free from foreign matters; was well 
dried, and was quite hard and resinous. When pulverized and sub- 
jected to analysis, the air-dried product yielded 5.01 per cent. of pure 
morphine. This proportion of morphine is rather low; yet it is nearly 
equal to that of many varieties of opium from India. In order that this 
result may be compared with results of analyses of opium from other 
localities, we give below a table of results obtained by different analysts. 
Locality. u pee eo Analyst. 
SAVIN AS os cee os oes selene ses oceans 12 to 14 Guibourt. 
DEAD Re (Ola) Pes eae ee AR Se ae Ee Eo Gees see 5.8 .to 6.6 std 
ES (UNOTIED) 2 s- 6 4---- eee ee eee 6 holed \wareie 
BiplOd ian «sass ME setae ts see ee £2 EY: 5.3 to 7.7 | Guibourt. 
eb ae eee ee eee eres es St er Sey GIES Y/ ' “ 
AUserian (White POPpPles).--ck- -==---saeaceeesee= =~ = | 1.52 to 8.57) Aubergier. 
Pee (red Popples)-=-s202 sscese 2-=—-eeeeeeeeor se oe 10.37 to 11.23 % 
‘ey(purple poppies)s: cs 22. Leee= seers eae= 2s = 4,71 to 17.83 a 
Brirh (blue poppies) =<: s2.2 «232-2 sseeeee ae vies= e- - = 16.6 to 20 Blitz. 
RM WHLTe POP PICS) --..\= so a<co5e ce eee sees oes 2 6. 85 * i 
MEADE H TCO) yMAKT MUM | bons ace a eee ss al= = == 22.9 Guibeurt. 
ve ee aIMLMNNM, 2 25 ssl eee rie te sss 14.8 “ 
Memmont (Addison County), 2. s224,5----2e-eee=-+ <4 - 15: 75.) | ee 
Galitormia (MarimiCounty) /- 3255s ssosseese sae a's: 57D). ie a| eyeemeeee 
In the determination of morphine in the North Carolina specimen, 
the method of Proctor gave the most satisfactory results; 20 grammes 
of the dry pulverized opium were rubbed with repeated portions of wa- 
ter until finely divided, and allowed to digest twelve hours in about six 
times their weight of water, when the whole was removed to a filter and 
washed with water until the washings were completely colorless and 
tasteless, the fluids thoroughly mixed and divided into portions repre- 
senting 10 grammes each for duplicate determination. 
The solution thus obtained is treated with solution of subacetate of 
lead as long as precipitate forms, the precipitate being separated by filtra- 
tion and,well washed. ‘To the filtrate add dilute sulphuric acid, drop by 
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