On the Cultivation of the While Single Foppy. 



1824.] 



Tbe produce will depend, in a great 

 measure, upon the kind of ground used 

 for the purpose, which will be found 

 b}' practice on a small scale ; and the 

 writer has no doubt, that, by attending 

 to the method afterwards described, 

 any person, by one trial, may obtain 

 equally as good an article as he has 

 done ; which will be an encouragement 

 to pursue their success, by cultivating 

 on a larger scale another year, as, by 

 this means, in a few years, the whole of 

 the consumption in Great Britain may 

 be grov/n on its own soil. 



Kind of ground to sow upon. — The 

 white single poppy will grow upon 

 almost all kinds of garden ground, and 

 also upon good dry arable ground : the 

 better the land is manured, the larger 

 and stronger the crop. 



Sowing. — About tiie latter end of 

 February, if the weather should be 

 open and dry, or as early after as pos- 

 sible, either broadcast or drilled. If 

 broadcast, the seed should be lightly 

 raked in, but not deep, as it will come 

 up the quicker ; and, if drilled, the fur- 

 rows should be about eight inches 

 asunder, and about one inch and a half 

 deep, and then levelled wi(h the back 

 of a rake, or any other thing that will 

 answer the same purpose ; as, at the 

 distance above stated, there will be 

 sufficient room for the person to go be- 

 tween the rows to thin them out when 

 they begin to grow up. 



Thinning out. — When the plants 

 have grown to the height of about live 

 or six inches, it will be necessary to 

 thin thcni out, which is to be done by 

 leaving only one every eight inches ; if 

 they arc left nearer, the plants will be 

 very weak, and the prodncc little ; 

 but, if kept at the above distance of 

 eight inches, the plants will be strong 

 and produce well, and there will bo 

 room enough for the collectors to go 

 between them for that purpose. 



Cttttimr. — It must be observed, that 

 the shell of the poppy head, when 

 growing, is not thicker than a common 

 wafer, with which letters are sealed : 

 it has an outer and an inner skin, 

 between which is a kind of white pithy 

 substance, througli which tlie veins 

 pass that contain the opium ; and in 

 cutting, the outer skin should only be 

 cut through, but never both, if it can be 

 avoided. About the beginning of July 

 the plants begin to (lower, and when 

 the petals fall olf tiic cutting must be 

 comnanced, for which choose a day us 

 freo from wind or rain as possible, as 



MoNTULY Ma«. No. yi>y. 



137 



the wind would cause the plants to 

 strike against each other, and shake off 

 the opium which is to be collected, and 

 the rain would mix with it, and a great 

 part would be lost in thut way; hut, 

 avoiding those evils, take the cutter in 

 the right hand, and place the thumb of 

 your left hand upon the top of the 

 poppy, holding the stem between the 

 two fore lingers of the left hand, begin 

 to cut round it for the first time, making 

 about six or eight incisions, in a 

 sloping or arched direction, across the 

 veins from which tlie opium issues, 

 which will be the case immediately 

 after the incisions are made, and will 

 appear in large creamy drops. The 

 perpendicular mode of cutting will not 

 do, but the above method will be found 

 to answer well; cut about ten or fifteen 

 plants at a time, taking care not to cut 

 too deep, as before mentioned. 



Collecting. — Take the ifctrumcnt for 

 collecting, and begin 1o scrape up from 

 the bottom of the incision, from that 

 side where there appears to be the 

 most run out, and so proceed until the 

 whole which has been cut be col- 

 lected, and deposit it in a gallipot, or 

 what is found most convenient for that 

 purpose ; and, at the end of eacii day, 

 put all that has been collected upon a 

 dish or plate, or something that is shal- 

 low ; and with a palette knife, or com- 

 mon dinner knife, work it up together, 

 and set it in a dry place, where the sun 

 can shine upon it, either in a summer- 

 house or house-window ; and the first 

 day it will turn to a light brown co- 

 lour, and, by being exposed to the sun, 

 it will, in a few dajs, become of a 

 resiny consistence, and a deep brown ; 

 it will also become harder the more it 

 is exposed. 



Second ctittiii^. — The ;!(fants will 

 bear cutting five or six times, which 

 may be done every day or two, in tlie 

 same manner as before described, only 

 taking care that the cut be not made 

 in the same place, but as near the 

 former one as possible ; and so on wi(h 

 the collecting and gathering, as before 

 described, until tliey will yield no 

 more, when the plants may be pulled 

 \i\), and the capsules cut for the seeds ; 

 and the straw when laid together will 

 make good manure. 



This is all the process required for 

 producing that valuable article ojiium, 

 which every gardener and farmer may 

 grow by the directions here given. 



Since the writer has finished his 



Jittle harveat of tln^ poppy, lie lias had 



T the 



