ON   THE  PRODUCTION  OF  OPIUM  IN  ASIA  MINOR.  251 
senic.  Thus  it  is  with  phosphate  guanoes  and  bone  dust ;  none  of 
them  are  absolutely  insoluble  in  pure  water,  and  when  thus  dis- 
solved as  sub-phosphates,  they  are  converted  into  the  nascent  form, 
and  more  readily  redissolved  than  before  their  solution. 
The  contact  of  a  piece  of  wood  or  string,  has  been  known  to 
hasten  the  solubility  of  the  most  insoluble  substances  ;  for  instance, 
the  inner  part  of  a  metallic  worm  of  a  still,  opposite  a  wooden 
support  has  been  known  to  dissolve  in  the  distilled  waters  passing 
through  it,  and  the  same  remark  is  made  with  regard  to  hydrant 
pipes  ;  the  normal  condition  of  insoluble  bodies  is  then  disturbed, 
and  the  allontropic  or  nascent  condition  produced,  by  contact  with 
vegetable  substances  in  a  state  of  change;  this,  then,  may  ac- 
count for  the  influence  of  organic  manures,  and  indicates  the  phi- 
losophy of  the  modern  plan  of  manuring  in  Europe,  which  is  by 
hauling  out  the  manure  on  the  field,  load  by  load,  as  it  is  gen- 
erated, instead  of  permitting  it  to  ferment  in  heaps  in  the  stable  yard. 
Now,  query,  would  it  not  be  still  better  to  stratify  it  with  powder 
of  feldspar,  phosphorite,  or  phosphatic  guano,  and  concentrate 
this  disturbing  force  of  fermentation  upon  the  elements,  which, 
when  reduced  to  the  nascent  state,  are  worth  more  than  the  one  or 
two  per  cent,  of  alkalies,  etc.  in  the  manure  itself. 
It  is  still  a  question  with  physiologists  whether  nitrogen  is  ever 
assimilated  by  plants,  much  less  by  animals,  in  its  normal  condi- 
tion ;  and  it  is  a  curious  fact,  that  both  the  plant  and  animal  may 
starve,  when  fed  on  carbonaceous  food  exclusively,  although  both 
are  bathed  in  an  atmosphere  containing  four-fifths  of  nitrogen, 
which  is  perfectly  useless  to  both,  because  not  presented  in  the  nas- 
cent form. — American  Farmer. 
Baltimore.  Jan.  24th,  1855. 
ON  THE  PRODUCTION  OF  OPIUM  IN  ASIA  MINOR. 
By  Sidney  H.  Maltass,  Esq. 
No  crop  is  more  uncertain  than  opium,  as  the  poppy  from 
which  it  is  produced  is  liable  to  be  injured,  and  even  destroyed 
by  spring  frost,  drought,  or  locusts.  Winter  snows  and  a  mild 
rainy  spring  are  most  favorable  to  its  growth.  The  poppy  re- 
quires a  naturally  moist  and  rich  soil,  further  improved  \j  large 
