^64 Mr Y oung on the Preparation 
season, the custom of allowing the milk to thicken, by remain- 
ing for some time on the capsule, is highly judicious. While, 
in another part of his account, he admits that that custom is the 
only reason why they lose one-third of their crop. 
Supposing that if 200,000 lb. of opium give the East India 
Company L. 100,000 Sterling annually, by Dr Howison’s ac- 
count they lose more than L. 30,000. But were the loss only 
to amount to half that sum, sufficient importance, it is to be 
supposed, would be attached to the means by which such a sav- 
ing could be effected. 
Mr Kerr states, that there are about 600,000 lb. of opium 
annually exported from the Ganges, independent of what is 
consumed in the interior. He also states, that it is frequently 
mixed with cow-dung, the extract obtained by boiling the 
plants and other additions, which are kept secret. It is, in- 
deed, frequently so much adulterated, that considerable quan- 
tities are burnt at Calcutta by order of the Government. 
In the summer of 1817, I cultivated a small field of poppies, 
containing about 20,000 iplants of the Papaver somniferum of 
Linn^us, out of which I selected two beds, measuring one fall 
and fourteen square yards, for the purpose of ascertaining what 
quantity of opium it would produce. I collected the opium 
from that part selected for the experiment myself, while the 
rest of the crop was gathered by the people I employed. I 
collected as much of the milky juice as was equal to 1 drachm 
of solid opium in the space of an hour ; but as my professional 
avocations prevented me from regularly superintending the 
people at work, they did not gather so much as I expected. I 
ascertained, however, that they could gather at the rate of I 
drachm in the hour. 
I had my poppies sown in three different ways. The first 
broad- cast upon beds, three feet wide with an alley between, 
and thinned out to the distance of four and five inches, 
v/hen the plants Were about two inches high above the ground. 
The second on beds three feet wide, in rows, six rows to a 
bed, and six inches between the plants. The third on the 
spaces between rows of asparagus, two rows of poppies on each 
eight inches between each row, and six inches between. 
