148 
CULTURE OF THE POPPY IN INDIA. 
shown, upon that of the dew which falls upon the surface of 
the capsule. A deficiency of dew prevents the proper flow 
of the milk, while an excess, besides washing off the milk, 
causes additional mischief, by separating the soluble from the 
insoluble parts of the Opium. This deteriorates its quality, 
as well as increases the quantity of moisture, which must af- 
terwards be got rid of. This, together with the adulterations 
practised by the Ryots, causes the chief difficulties experienced 
by the Opium agents. 
This dependence upon the state of the atmosphere will in 
many cases explajn the greater or less facility experienced in 
the preparation of Opium of the best quality in different parts 
of India. Also, why though the soil being less fertile, it is easier 
to prepare Opium of fine quality in Malwa and the north- 
western provinces of India, than in Bengal. But the history 
of the Opium culture is as instructive as that of Indigo, 
though in a different way. The latter being an indigenous 
plant, has continued to be cultivated by the natives according 
to their own methods, while the manufacture of its dye has 
been improved by the application of European energy and 
science. 
The Poppy, on the contrary, is a foreign plant, successfully 
introduced by the natives themselves, of which the produce 
requires care, but not science on their parts. It is well cal- 
culated though, to show the important results which may fol- 
low the introduction of a plant, suited to the soil and climate 
of a country. When the Poppy was first cultivated in India, 
is not known, but it had attained considerable importance in 
17S6, as there is a memorial of the Marquis Cornwallis of that 
date, respecting the best mode of deriving a revenue from 
Opium. In 1826, the Finance Committee estimated that the 
government might derive from it about i?l,000,000 yearly of 
revenue. 
The Poppy has been adduced as a remarkable instance of a 
foreign plant successfully cultivated in India, but chiefly on 
account of the lessons which may be drawn for the culture of 
