326  Notes  on  Some  Saps  and  Secretions.  { Am^™j8^arm- 
The  Chinese  both  smoke  and  swallow  it.  In  Turkey  it  is  chiefly 
taken  in  pills,  being  sometimes  mixed  with  syrup  to  render  it  more 
palatable. 
In  England  the  drug  is  administered  either  in  its  solid  state,  made 
into  pills,  or  as  a  tincture  in  the  shape  of  laudanum.  The  natives  of 
India  take  it  in  pills  or  dissolved  in  water.  In  upper  India  an 
intoxicating  liquor  is  prepared  by  beating  the  capsules  of  the  poppy 
with  jaggery  and  water. 
The  native  practitioners  consider  opium  to  be  injurious  in  typhus 
fever,  but  they  administer  it  in  intermittents,  lockjaw,  and  in  certain 
stages  of  dysentery  ;  externally,  they  recommend  it  in  conjunction 
with  arrach,  aloes,  benzoin  and  bdellium,  in  rheumatic  affections. 
They  consider,  however,  after  all,  that  it  is  merely  efficacious  in 
giving  temporary  relief. 
Persian  opium  is  cultivated  principally  in  Yezd  and  Ispahan,  and 
partly  in  the  districts  of  Khorassan,  Kerman,  Fars  and  Shushtes. 
That  grown  in  Yezd  is  considered  to  be  better  than  that  of  Ispa- 
han and  elsewhere,  owing  to  the  climate  and  soil  of  the  place  being 
better  adapted  to  the  growth  of  thetpoppy.  The  crop  comes  to 
hand  in  May  and  June,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  opium  finds  its 
way  to  the  shipping  ports  between  September  and  January.  These 
ports  are  Bushire  and  Bunder  AfTas.  The  Persian  opium  was  formerly 
not  much  liked  in  China,  owing  to  its  having  a  peculiar  flavor, 
caused  by  the  mixture  of  a  large  quantity  of  oil  during  the  process 
of  preparation,  and  owing,  also,  to  its  being  sometimes  found  adul- 
terated. It,  however,  finds  a  better  market  in  London,  inasmuch  as 
it  contains,  on  an  average,  a  larger  quantity  of  morphia.  From  Yezd 
a  quantity  of  opium  prepared  in  the  shape  of  small  sticks  or  cylin- 
ders, is  sent  to  Herat,  and  a  small  quantity  in  this  form  is  locally 
consumed  for  smoking  and  eating. 
Opium  smoking  is  very  prevalent  in  Yezd,  and  it  is  said  that  more 
is  used  in  this  place  in  that  way  than  in  any  other  town  in  Persia, 
with  the  single  exception  of  Kerman.  The  habit  is  gaining  ground 
daily  throughout  the  country. 
In  late  years  there  has  been  a  decided  decrease  in  the  crop  of  Per- 
sian opium.  A  few  years  ago  an  average  crop  would  be  reckoned 
at  4,000  boxes  ;  in  1889,  a  fair  year,  it  was  about  3,000;  in  1893  it 
was  only  about  some  2,000,  but  for  1894  an  area  was  planted  which 
is  calculated  to  give  some  2,500  boxes.    It  was  anticipated  that  in 
