. On the Cultivation of the Poppy. 338 
moved prejudices long and inveterate; and that the white 
poppy (Papaver hortense-semine allo) is cultivated to a very 
great extent in France, Brabant, and Germany, and, more re- 
cently in Holland, chiefly to extract. the oil from its seeds ; 
which is found not only to be salubrious, but to be pecu- 
harly delicate in its flavour. . It is now become a considera- 
ble article of commerce; the oil of.a superior quality for the 
use of the table, and the inferior for manufactories and va- 
rious other purposes. It is produced not only with. consi- 
derable profit-to the cultivator, but also to the merchant and 
consumer.. 
As it is natural to imagine that the prejudices against the 
common use of poppy oil for culinary purposes will be very 
general, since they are apparently sanctioned by prudent 
caution, it is not expected that the most positive assertions, 
founded upon the experience of strangers on the continent; 
would be sufficient'to. remove them. But a circumstantial 
narrative of a contest, which has, already taken place, and of 
the final triumph of experience over. the opposition founded 
on analogous reasoning, and a particular statement of the 
advantages which have accrued to the cultivator, merchant, 
and consumer, may perhaps attract the attention of some 
agriculturists in our own country, who may thus be encou- 
raged to make similar experiments; and as the issue must 
be the same, they will be able to produce absolute demon- | 
stration that the oil is totally destitute of the noxious quali- 
ties that have been ascribed to it; and finally conyince the 
public that it may become a cheap and useful substitute for 
the olive oil, and a very beneficial article of commerce. 
For this purpose I shall state to the agriculturist a suc- 
cinct account of the rise and progress of the cultivation of 
the poppy, in order to express the oil from the seed; the 
manner of cultivating it, and the emoluments which have 
been received by the cultivator, from authentic documents 
m the’Dutch and German Janguages which are in my pos- 
session. 
In the year 1798, the society established at Amsterdam 
for the encouragement of agriculture, beiry: informed that 
the 
