357 
P A P A V E R. 
tion, but not with the degree of fuccefs that ought and 
might have been expefted to attend fo large and extenfive 
an experiment. 
Two years have palled in producing what I flatter 
myfelf the Society.will confider deferving their premium, 
particularly if I am able to render the operation much 
more Ample than may at firft fight be fuppofed. 
The claimant, I obferved, is required to f'ubmit to the 
Society his particular method of cultivating the poppies. 
As the mode adopted in the prefent inftance arofe rather 
from neceflity than choice, I muft go back as far as the 
autumn of 1797, to fliow how it happened. 
Five acres of ground and upwards, fituated in the parilh 
of Enfield, in the county of Middlefex, I appropriated to 
this experiment, at the period above mentioned ; which, 
being ploughed feveral times previous to the following 
March, were then Town broad-caft 5 and, the weather 
proving favourable, the feed foon vegetated, and appear¬ 
ances were very promifing. From the neglefted ftate of 
the land, however, to which I was unfortunately a 
ftranger, fuch a profufion of weeds fprang up among 
them, that, after many fruitlefs efforts at recovery, I was 
under the mortifying neceflity of ploughing them all up 
together. This circumftance not taking place till the 
latter end of April, the feafon for flowing was elapfed ; 
and, as to cropping my field with oats or barley, a mea- 
fure very ftrongly recommended to me, I confidered it as 
a deviation from my original purpofe, and therefore, 
without paying any attention to it, gave the field a fum- 
mer-fallowing, conceiving the poppies might be fown 
with equal and perhaps greater advantage in autumn. 
Finding that the broad-caft method of flowing precluded 
the pofllbility of hoeing where the land is much infefted 
with weeds, I now adopted a different mode, and drilled 
in the feed with a very fimple yet efficient machine, which 
I purchafed of Mr. Macdougal of Oxford-ftreet; but, as 
the weather began to be very fevere fo early as November, 
and continued fo with few intermifiions, the fucceeding 
March found me very little forwarder. Yet ftill I per- 
fevered, and once more refolved to drill the whole five 
acres 5 they came up extremely well, and, as I expe&ed, 
accompanied with innumerable weeds 5 but thefe by well- 
timed application were eradicated, though not without 
confiderable difficulty. 
I now thought myfelf fecure; for nothing could a {fume 
a better appearance till the beginning of May. Alas! I 
could not forefee the cold and remarkably dry weather 
that enfued, and prevailed, I believe, for fix weeks fuc- 
ceflively. Hence the growth of fome became ftunted, 
and others were entirely deftroyed 5 but happily fome 
warm refrefhing Ihowers fell juft time enough to refcue 
the remainder. From thefe I have procured upwards of 
twenty-one pounds of opium, five of which, in compliance 
with the Society’s requifition, I have fent for their in- 
fpeftion and examination. 
This recital ought on no account to intimidate others 5 
for it is obvious that the former inconveniencies origi¬ 
nated in my own ignorance, whilft the latter depended 
upon the caufes that, in all probability, may never happen 
again. 
Mr. Ball, in a letter publilhed in one of the volumes of 
tbe Society’s Tranfaftions, advances an opinion which I 
confider as very fallacious, refpefting the quality of land 
adapted to the growth of poppies, die feems to be very 
little concerned about this point, and liints the probability 
of their being cultivated almoft every-where. I well know 
that poppies, like many other vegetables, will grow in 
foils of any defcription ; but of this I am fully a fibred, 
that, like the reft, they have their particular and favourite 
foil, viz. a fandy loam, and that, the better this is, the 
more advantages will accrue to the cultivator. There is 
alfo another error in the fame communication, which, 
having a tendency to miflead, ought to be pointed out. 
He tells us, to ufe his own- words, “ that, by a calculation 
he has made, fuppofing one poppy growing in one fquare 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1248. 
foot of earth, and producing only one grain of opium, 
more than fifty pounds (I fuppofe he means, of courfe, 
apothecaries’ weight) will be collected from off one fta- 
tute acre of .land.” Now, as there are no more than 
4.3,560 fquare feet in an acre, and allowing one grain for 
each, the produce can be no more than ninety ounces and 
fix drachms. This calculation appears to me to b.e as 
much in the extreme one way, as that of Mr. Ball is in 
the other. The medium is molt probably neareft the 
truth ; but upon this point I cannot at prefent fpeak with 
any degree of precifion, on account of the fcattered fitua- 
tion of my crop, and the extraordinary intemperance of 
the laft feafon. Judging, however, from the number of 
heads we perceived, and comparing them with the total 
quantity, they feem to have yielded three-fourths of a 
grain each, upon an average, large and fmall, 
I ftiall now lay before the Society fome general remarks 
on the cultivation of poppies, and then conclude with 
fubmitting a few hints and directions refpedting the pre¬ 
paration of opium. 
Having a tap-root, their fize will confequently be pro¬ 
portionate to the depth of earth they are enabled to pene¬ 
trate. Hence the neceflity of land that will admit of deep 
ploughing. The finenefs of the furface, too, is very ef- 
fential. As the feed is fo fmall, and the plants, on their 
firft coming up, fo exceedingly tender, the buffi-harrow 
fliould always be ufed after thofe which are commonly 
employed. By this means a greater number are likely to 
vegetate, and their roots, being better protected, are lefs 
liable to injury. 
Poppies may be cultivated both by the drill and broad- 
caft mode of hulbandry; at the fame time it muft be re¬ 
membered, that the land for each requires a different dif- 
pofition. In the former this is not fo material, the l'owing- 
machine regulating the diftances of the rows according 
to the will of the operator; thefe ought to be nine inches 
or a foot afunder, and in beds containing four rows, al¬ 
lowing a foot and a half between each. But, with rel'peCt 
to the latter, this point muft be ftriftly attended to 5 the 
ridges fliould never exceed four feet in breadth ; fo that 
the furrows will anfwer the double purpofe of preferving 
the land throughout the winter, and, in the feafon for 
collecting the opium, ferve as paths for the workmen. 
Befides two chances of a crop, I am decidedly in 
favour of autumnal fowing ; and the firft week in Septem¬ 
ber feems to be the moft favourable period for this pur¬ 
pofe. If the weather continues open, they will make 
fuch a progrefs as to be capable of refitting the feverity of 
an inclement winter, without, on the other hand, being 
too forward; a circumftance highly dangerous, as the firft 
fevere froft is inevitably deftruftive. On this account, 
whether by the drill or otherwife, a large proportion of feed 
fhould be fown at this feafon, for the plants will defend 
each other; and, as all the plants will not be equally for¬ 
ward, fo, let the winter prove as it may, provided the 
feed has vegetated freely, there will be great probability 
of a good appearance in fpring. 
I do not without fufficient reafon recommend that this 
operation fliould be performed in autumn. The poppies 
are not only generally larger, but, even when this is not 
the cafe, I know, from experience, that they will yield a 
much larger proportion of opium ; for it feldom happens 
that a fpring-poppy will bleed, as we term it, more than 
twice, while the others will bear fcarifying till they are 
nearly ripe. This, I imagine, can only arife from the 
length of time the one has been in the ground in cora- 
parifon with the other. In drilling, the neceflity of cover¬ 
ing the feed by harrowing is fufpended by the operation 
of the machine; and, in the broad-caft method, a fhower 
of rain will have all the effeCl without further trouble or 
expenfe. 
Excepting great additional care, turnip and poppy 
hoeing are fimilar, and in every refpeft may be conducted 
in the fame manner. I believe tbe turnips are rather 
benefited, they certainly are not injured, by beinglhaken. 
