366     CULTURE  AND  COMMERCE  IN  OPIUM  IN  ASIA  MINOR. 
tlie  renowned  districts  often  amount  to  three  and  four  times  the 
quantity  those  districts  can  possibly  produce ;  this  anomaly  is 
only  a  proof  as  to  the  capacity  of  other  places  of  producing  a 
quality  equal  to  that  of  the  famed  ones. 
Commercially  speaking,  there  is  no  rule  by  which  one  can  be- 
come a  judge  of  Opium,  of  however  moderate  aspirations;  this 
ability  can  only  be  acquired  through  many  years  practice.  In 
examining  this  article  the  use  of  nearly  all  the  faculties  is  re- 
quired :  color,  appearance,  weight,  scent,  etc.,  serve  as  a  guide, 
for  often  a  dark  colored  cake  is  as  good  as  a  light  one,  or  both 
may  be  bad  ;  one  scent  as  good  as  another ;  soft,  or  hard,  etc., 
etc.,  may  both  be  good  or  bad.  To  be  a  judge  of  Opium, 
therefore,  one  must  be  guided  by  a  combination  of  circumstances, 
so  variable  in  themselves  that,  as  before  mentioned,  it  can  only 
be  acquired  by  great  experience.  Such  being  the  case,  it  may 
easily  be  imagined  what  people  think  here  of  the  system  pur- 
sued in  some  markets,  where  it  is  mostly  judged  by  its  external 
appearance. 
The  first  baskets  of  Opium  arrive  in  Smyrna  about  the  end  of 
May,  or  beginning  of  June,  but  for  several  reasons  it  is  not  safe 
to  effect  any  shipments  before  the  month  of  August.  First,  too 
fresh  Opium  is  liable  to  get  heated  ;  secondly,  the  Chikintee  is 
not  so  easily  detected,  and  thirdly  it  gives  a  loss  in  weight. 
Apart  from  agricultural  causes,  the  crop  of  Opium,  like  that 
of  all  other  productions,  depends  in  a  great  measure  on  the  rul- 
ing prices  at  the  close  of  the  season,  which  influences  its  greater 
or  lesser  sowing,  so  that  after  a  large  crop,  with  low  prices,  a 
small  crop,  and  of  course  high  prices,  are  almost  sure  to  follow, 
and  vice-versa.  As  a  guide  to  the  probable  ruling  prices  of  a 
season,  the  extent  of  the  crop  is,  of  course,  a  very  good  crite- 
rion ;  to  ascertain  this,  however,  with  any  degree  of  accuracy, 
the  greatest  difficulty  is  encountered.  First  of  all,  the  merchants 
stockholders,  who  know  well  the  influence  of  quantity  on  price, 
are  always  ready  to  misguide  one,  and  secondly,  no  account  can 
be  obtained  from  the  Government  tax  gatherer,  as  the  tithes  are 
usually  sold  by  auction ;  it  is  only  by  dint  of  great  exertions 
and  experience  that  any  thing  like  the  truth  can  be  ascer- 
tained. 
