ON  THE  PRODUCTION  OF  OPIUM  IN  ASIA  MINOR.  257 
Calculation  of  the  average  expense  and  result  of  cultivating  100  Tolooms 
of  land  with  Opium,  provided  labor  could  be  procured  by  usual  wages. 
produce.  Piasters. 
100  Tolooms  of  land — average  yield  of  opium  at  1£  chequee 
per  toloom=150  chequees,  at  piast.  80 
Average  yield  of  seed,  4  bushels  per  tolooms 
400  bushels,  / 
at  P.*  20  
j 
EXPENSES. 
Piasters. 
Tithes,  10  per  cent-,  on  value  of  produce  . 
2000 
Ploughing,  118  days,  at  p.  8  . 
944 
Manure,  5000  loads  (donkey)  at  p.  1  per  load 
5000 
Seed,  36  okes  or  2  bushels,  at  p.  20  . 
40 
Hoeing,  weeding,  &c,  400  days,  at  p.  8 
3200 
Making  incisions     .   200      "     p.  8  . 
1600 
Gathering       .       .    100       "      p.  8  . 
800 
Collecting  seed      .   100      "     p.  8  . 
800 
Cleaning         .       .   100       "     p.  8  . 
800 
Cattle  food,  &c.  ..... 
240 
8000 
20,000 
15,424 
Average  gain  to  a  grower  .  .  .  4,576 
The  foregoing  statement  regarding  the  expense  of  cultivating 
the  poppy  and  its  yield  of  opium  in  various  years,  must  be  re- 
garded as  approximative  only,  as  it  has  been  obtained  from  igno- 
rant peasants,  who  are  never  exactly  correct,  especially  in 
figures.  In  Turkey  there  are  favorite  numbers  amongst  the 
peasants,  100  and  40  being  those  mostly  used  ;  10,  20,  and  5, 
are  also  favorites. 
Presuming  the  grower  should  send  this  opium  to  Smyrna  for 
sale,  the  cost  would  be  as  follows  : — 
Piasters. 
150  Chequees,  at  piast.  80       ....  12,000 
Packing  charges   20 
Inland  duty  at  p.  5  l-10th  per  chequee      .       .       .  825 
Carriage   300 
Loss  on  money  by  bills,  2  per  cent.    ....  240 
Factor's  commission  in  Smyrna,  2  per  cent.        .       .  '  200 
Brokerage  1  per  cent,  on  p.  100       ....  100 
13,685 
*  "  P."  signifies  Piaster.    A  Turkish  piaster  is  worth  about  2  U5thd.  sterling. 
17 
