972 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[June 3,1871. 
With Brazil wood and tin solution it produces a red ; 
with copperas and logwood a rich permanent black. 
With a solution of chloride of tin alone, a rich yellow, 
and this with Prussian blue, shades of green. It is used 
chiefly as a base, and has the quality of giving great 
permanency to the colours dyed with it. The leaves of 
the hairy species called staghorn are considered best to 
dye yellow. 
The sumac berries are of very little value, though wo 
think in the progress of science a use will be found for 
them. They are said to contain largo quantities of 
malic acid. They are now used in small quantities by 
the druggists, and when ripe make a very refreshing 
and cooling beverage. They should by all means be 
kept out of the gathered leaves, as they contain a red 
dye, hence would injure the quality of the sumac.— 
tSdentiJic American . 
POPFY FARMING IN QUEENSLAND. 
A successful attempt at poppy farming is reported 
from Queensland. A specimen of opium, grown by Mr. 
Tatnel in the Toowoomba district last season, has been 
-exhibited, consisting of five cake3 weighing one pound 
each, which was part of the produce of a quarter of an 
acre of poppies. The quality was so superior that the 
whole exhibit was purchased by a medical gentleman in 
Toowoomba at £3. 10s. per pound. The net proceeds of 
the crop will amount to £28 or £30. 
We extract the following particulars as to the cultiva¬ 
tion from the Brisbane Courier :— 
“ The first advice given by Mr. Tatnel is to be ex¬ 
ceedingly careful in selecting the seed [Vapaver semni- 
fernm). This appears to be the main point, as on this 
hinges ultimate success. There are some kinds of 
poppies very similar, in many respects, to the true 
Turkey, but which are not adapted to this climate. The 
East Indian seeds germinate quite as freely, but the 
Turkish jdant will blossom nearly three weeks before it. 
The former, also, has but one capsule, and upon incising 
it only a small quantity of gum will exude, and subse¬ 
quent incisions will not produce further discharges. 
“ The white poppy plant is also very similar to the 
East Indian, but equally unprolific. Opium can bo ob¬ 
tained in greater or less quantity from all the poppy 
species, but the main object is to select those sorts which 
will yield the greatest profit to the grower. 
“ The poppy must have rich ground, either naturally 
so, or through the application of manure. Land which 
has been worked previously for a root-crop, and brought 
into fine tilth by the cultivator and horseshoe, is better 
than new land for this plant, for as it has a tap-root any 
interference with the downward course of the latter will 
prevent the flow of opium. It ought to be sown in 
drills,. from eighteen inches to two feet apart. The 
objections to the broadcast system of sowing are :—First. 
That when making incisions it is very difficult to dis¬ 
tinguish between those plants which are cut, and those 
uncut. Secondly. When gathering it is impossible to 
avoid coming in contact with the liquid gum, thus 
causing a great waste. Sow the seed in the drills in the 
first instance, as transplanting is so difficult and un¬ 
certain, with such delicately tap-rooted plants. The 
tap-root resembles a piece of cotton thread, and it is 
almost impossible to remove it without injury. The 
time for sowing in this district is from the middle of 
May to the end of June, but it would be well to get 
as much of the sowing completed as soon as possible 
before the end of May. Frosts will not affect the poppy 
plant, nor will watering too freely benefit them, warm 
dry weather being the most favourable season for a large 
return of gum. The plant may be made to grow very 
rank, through the application of liquid manure, but the 
extra quantity of produce will prove a thin milky sub¬ 
stance, which, when dry, is not worth the trouble of col¬ 
lecting. The system of gathering is very simple, and 
may be performed by careful children. The yield per 
acre has been estimated at from 35 to 40 lb., and the 
price for the raw and unadulterated produce would range 
from about £3 to £3. 10*. per lb.” 
The following practically explains the gathering pro¬ 
cess :— 
“The time to cut the capsule is from two to three 
days after the flower-leaves have fallen off, when it will 
be about the size of a walnut. There arc two methods 
of doing this, which have been found to answer; the first 
is by making several longitudinal cuts from the base to- 
the crown; the second to make two horizontal incisions 
one above the other half-round the capsule, the cuts to 
be made with a sharp knife, and made in such a way 
that they should have an upward slope, by which means ■ 
—should the knife penetrate through the shell of the 
capsule—inward bleeding and consequent loss of gum 
will be prevented. 
“The latter plan was found to be the best. The 
knife used should be one having two blades one-sixth of 
an inch apart, with a guard upon the blades to prevent 
them cutting too deeply. The cutting process should - 
take place during the evening, as the gum exudes in. 
greater quantities during the cool hours of the night 
than in the day, and will be found in a fit state to gather 
when the sun has been on it for an hour or two in the 
morning. 
“ Those who are to collect the gum should be furnished 
with a blunt knife, with which to scrape the heads, and. 
have a sharp-edged tin fastened by a strap round the 
waist in which to collect the opium. The tin must have 
a sharp edge, as the opium adheres very firmly to the 
knife, from which some force is required to remove it. 
“Towards the evening, hands can be set to work to- 
cut the heads a second time, making the cuts on that 
side of the capsule left uncut the previous day. The 
process, as described, may be continued each day until 
the heads cease to yield sufficient gum to make it pay¬ 
able. 
“In conclusion, the opium collected should be dried 
in shallow plates to a proper consistency to work into 
flat cakes weighing about half a pound each, and let 
this be clone as early as possible, for it soon becomes 
musty if not properly dried. When it is worked into- 
the required shape, cover it with poppy leaves and keep 
it in a dry place. 
“The plant may be grown with profitable results for 
capsules alone, and with very little risk to the cultivators. 
The capsules are worth 3os. per thousand in Melbourne, 
and the yield per acre is from thirty-five to forty thou¬ 
sand, according to season. 
“We understand that, independently of the yield of 
opium, Mr. Tatnel has also obtained a fair crop of seed, 
a portion of which he will no doubt distribute among, 
his friends and neighbours before the planting-season, 
which is now rapidly approaching.” 
In connection with the subject of the entomological 
prizes offered by the Royal Horticultural Society,* we- 
have great pleasure in reproducing in another part of 
this Journal an article from the Gardeners' Ciironicle, 
containing some valuable advice on the preparation of 
specimens. 
NOTICE.—In answer to several inquiries we are 
enabled to state that Ashworth’s Patent Looped Binder 
Folios, made to hold six, thirteen or twenty-six numbers- 
of the Pharmaceutical Journal, are now ready, and 
may be had of Messrs. Taylor and Co., Printers, 10,, 
Little Queen Street, London, W.C., price Is. 0 d. Bind¬ 
ers, Gd. per gross. 
* See ante , p. 931. 
