CULTIVATION  OF  THE  OPIUM  POPPY  IN  AUSTRALIA.  553 
The  plants  were  all  above  ground  about  ten  days  after  each 
sowing,  and  about  a  fortnight  after  I  thinned  them  out,  leaving 
150  plants  on  each  plot.  Plots  1,  3,  4  and  6  received  no  artifi- 
cial irrigation,  but  depended  for  moisture  entirely  on  the  rain- 
fall, while  Nos.  2  and  5  were  watered  well  every  week  until  just 
before  flowering.  When  ripe,  I  carefully  cut  the  heads  and 
collected  the  opium,  obtaining  the  following  yields : 
No. 
Yield  of  Opium  in  Grains. 
1 
153 
2 
177 
3 
159 
4 
171 
5 
189 
6 
203 
The  greatest  yields  were  from  Nos.  5  and  6,  the  last  planted. 
Nos.  2  and  5,  which  were  without  manure,  but  with  plenty  of 
moisture,  yielded  much  more  than  Nos.  1  and  4,  those  manured 
with  stable  manure.  The  opium  was  of  the  ordinary  consistence, 
and,  as  far  as  possible,  free  from  leaves  or  accidental  impurities. 
Now,  as  to  the  richness  of  the  samples  in  morphia. 
On  assay,  from  one  hundred  grains  of  each  sample,  well  dried, 
I  obtained : 
No. 
Grains  of  Morphia. 
1 
2 
3 
6/5 
4 
4t% 
5 
6 
7tV 
I  also  obtained  a  notable  quantity  of  morphia  from  the  aque- 
ous extract  of  the  bruised  green  heads  from  which  the  opium  had 
previously  been  as  far  as  possible  extracted. 
As  the  same  seed,  diflferently  treated,  give  plants  which 
yielded  opium  of  different  values,  I  naturally  infer  that  manures, 
nature  of  soil,  want  of  moisture,  or  excessive  supply  of  water, 
and  general  manner  of  cultivation,  have  a  great  influence  on  the 
Talue  of  the  opium  produced.    Last  season  (1869-70)  I  per- 
