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.:}: 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 not 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, Gians unguentarius , JSalenos 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. Rees ’ Encyclopaedia. 
* See American Philo. Trans, for an important paper on the Maple 
tree—By Dr. B. Rush. 
