76 



But I must observe that the Opium of the Poppy is not 

 the only benefit which its cultivation would afford — From 

 the seeds an oil may be extracted as salubrious and agree- 

 able as the finest Florence oil — The quantity of this oil 

 which is consumed, and the frequent difficulties which 

 attend its importation, would make the extraction of it from 

 the Poppy a lucrative employment.* I am glad to state 

 that in Pennsylvania some acres of ground are planted with 

 the Poppy for this purpose. As the quality of the Olive 

 oil is much affected by the acidity or richness of the soil in 

 which the plant grows, it would be well to notice these 

 circumstances in the cultivation of the Papaver.f It is 

 hardly necessary to add that the opium and the oil may 

 both be extracted from the same plant. 



Large quantities of Sugar are annually extracted from 

 the Maple tree, (Acer Sacharinum) in many parts of the Uni- 

 ted States ; and the subject has already received the atten- 

 tion of some writers.f I shall therefore in this place notice 

 only the Sugar Cane, (Sacharum Officinarum) this was 



* There have been many doubts suggested respecting the whole- 

 some qualities of this oil— but the question that it is not deleterious 

 is now settled— See the Abbe Rosier's experiments, quoted in Ar- 

 chives, vol. 2, p. 176„ 



-j- At Harmony, half a day's ride from Pittsburgh, (both places 

 objects of very great interest) the settlers, use oil expressed from 

 the poppy seed, exclusively, in lieu of olive oil for sallads, &c. It is 

 nearly, if r.ot quite equally good. This oil is becoming common in 

 Europe as a substitute for olive oil. The poppy seed, may be eaten 

 with impunity when ripe. I do not see why its use should be con- 

 fined to the settlement of Harmony. The Ben, Bene, or Benni Seed 

 common in the Carolinas, can furnish, as I am informed, oil enough 

 to supply the United States at a cheap rate I have eaten the oil of 

 the Ben or Behen nut in England, and I find no difference between it, 

 and the olive oil. Why should this last be imported ? But I doubt 

 whether the Ben or Behen nut be the same with the Benni seed. I 

 suspect this last to be the Sesamum ,• but I have never seen it. The 

 Behen nut, Glans ung-ue?itarius, Balenos murepsiki, is the fruit of the 

 Gnilandina Moringa. The oil is prepared in the Levant, in Egypt, 

 in Syria, and in Italy, by expression. It is valuable for its purity, 

 and its freedom from smell and taste, and for its property of remain- 

 ing long without alteration or rancidity, which makes it extremely 

 valuable in pharmaceutical preparations. Hees' Encyclopedia. 



\ See American Philo. Trans, for an important paper on the Maple 

 tree— By Dr. B. Rush. 



