oO ^■ARKATIVE OF A JOUKXEY 



when grown a little larger, as a foot and a half in 

 height, are unfit for this ufe, from their intoxicating 

 quality. 



The poppy fiowers in Fehuary, and the opium is 

 extracted in March oi yl^rih, fooner or later, according 

 to the time of fowing. The white kind yields a larger 

 quantity of opium than the red ; the quality is the fame 

 from both. When the flowers are fallen off, and tlie 

 caplules afliime a vchitifh colour, it is the time to wound 

 them. This is done, by drawing an instrument with 

 three teeth, at the difiance of about half a line from 

 one another, along from top to bottom of the capfule, 

 fo as to penetrate the lljn. Thefe wounds are made 

 in the afternoon and evening, and the opium gathered 

 the next morning. They begin at day break, and con- 

 tinue till one p.huj- of the day is paffcd. The wounds 

 on each capfule are repeated for three fucceirive days ; 

 the whole capfules in a field are wounded, and the 

 opium gathered, in fifteen days. In a plentiful feafon 

 and good ground, they obtain from fix to nine feer 

 of opium from a begah of ground : a fmall crop is from 

 two to four fecrs. 



In this diftri<51:, all the opium, even at the time of 

 gathering, is mixed v.itL oil; and this they do not con- 

 lider as a fraudulent adulteration. The pradtice is a- 

 vowed, and the reafon af^igned is to prevent the drug 

 from drying. The people employed in gathering it 

 have each a fmall veffel containing a little oil of lefa- 

 mum, or of linfeed. The opium which has flowed 

 from the wounded capfules is fcraped ofl^" with a little 

 iron inftrument, previoufly dipped in oil. A little oil 

 is taken in the palm of the hand, and the opium ga- 

 thered with the iron infirunent is wiped in the iiaiid, 

 and kneaded with the oil : when a fufficient quantity 

 is colle6ted in the hand, it is thrown into the veflel 

 with oil. The whole quunrity gathered if?, when 

 brought home, kntaded into a mils, and thrown into 

 a vtiiel with more oil, in wiiich the whole crop of the 



fealou 



