Naturalisation in Extra- Tropical Countries. 328 



The seeds, about 9 Ibs. to the acre, are generally sown broadcast 

 mixed with sand. In the most favorable places as many as three 

 crops are obtained during a season. The collecting of the opium, 

 which consists merely of the indurating sap of the seed-vessels, is 

 commenced a few days after the lapse of the petals. Superficial 

 incisious, horizontal or diagonal, are made into the capsules as they 

 successively advance to maturity. This operation is best performed 

 in the afternoon and evening, and requires no laborious toil. The 

 milky opium-sap, thus directed outwards, is scraped off next morn- 

 ing into a shallow cup, and allowed to dry in a place away from 

 sunlight ; it may also be placed on poppy leaves. From one to six 

 successive incisions are made to exhaust the sap, according to season, 

 particular locality or the knife-like instrument employed. In the 

 Department of Somme (France) alone opium to the value of 

 70,000 annually is produced and poppy-seed to the value of 

 170,000. Australian seasons as a rule are favorable for collecting- 

 opium, and therefore this culture is rendered less precarious here 

 than in many other countries. Our opium proved often as good as 

 the best Smyrna-kind. The petals are dried for packing the opium. 

 The main-value of opium depends on its contents of morphia, for 

 which the genus Papaver, as far as heretofore known, remains the 

 sole source ; but not less than fourteen alkaloids have been detected 

 in opium by the progressive strides of organic chemistry : codein, 

 metamorphin, morphia or morphin, narcein, narcotin, opianin, 

 papaverin, porphyroxin, xanthopin, meconidin, codamin, laudanin, 

 pseudo-morphin and thebain. It contains besides an indifferent 

 bitter principle, meconin and meconic acid (vide "Wittstein's 

 Chemische Analyse von Pflanzentheilen," or my English edit, 

 p. 163). Various species of Papaver produce more or less opium 

 and morphia. Great Britain in 1889 imported 492,000 Ibs. of 

 opium, valued at 298,000. P. setigerum (De Candolle), supposed 

 to be the wild state of P. somniferum, was cultivated, evidently for 

 the sake of the seeds, by the lacustrine people of Switzerland prior 

 to historic ages [Heer]. 



Pappea Capensis, Ecklon and Zeyher. 



South-Africa. The fruit of this tree is of the size of a cherry, 

 savory and edible. The seeds furnish an oil similar to castor-oil in 

 its effects [Prof. McOwan]. 



Pappophorum commune, F. v. Mueller. 



Widely dispersed over the continent of Australia, occurring also 

 in some parts of Asia and Africa. Perennial ; regarded as a very 

 fattening pasture-grass, and available for arid localities and almost 

 rainless zones. 



Parinarium Nonda, F. v. Mueller. 



The " Noiida-tree " of North-Eastern Australia. Attains a height 

 of 60 feet; its wood soft, close-grained, easily worked [W. Hill]. 



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