l4 ON THE CULTIVATION OF OPIUM IN ARMENIA. 
excellent opium is produced, the price of which is high, and 
it is here that instructions in relation to its cultivation were 
obtained. 
Influence of the soil. — Damp fields are not suited to the 
culture of opium by reason of the ice which is formed in 
winter mutilating the seed ; it is also important that the 
ground should be dry at the time of the incision. The best 
soil is that which is always dry, avide d'eau, and which is 
so situated as to be readily watered, so that in the absence 
of rain it maybe irrigated either during the ploughing, sow- 
ing, or afterwards. A hard and strong soil obstructs the 
free penetration of the root, and the plant and capsule are 
not fully developed, while a light gravelly or sandy 
soil, particularly that of a red colour, sufficiently manured, 
is best calculated for its successful cultivation. 
Culture. — If the field is in a plain or on a mountain, and es- 
pecially if the soil is already enriched by the manure of flocks 
of sheep, it is ploughed twice in the spring, and then left ex- 
posed to the rays of the summer sun, and to the rigours of 
the winter, until the following spring, when they plough it 
a third time, and sow the poppy seed. If the situation and 
character of the soil is favorable, and the weather fine, and 
if the cultivators are honest and experienced, an excellent 
variety of opium is obtained, which is called Kez Jlfioni 
(opium of the family.) The ground is not harrowed after 
sowing, as is the case with wheat and other grains, though 
some attach a bush to the plough by a cord, which is drawn 
after it so as to effect a light covering of the seed; the fur- 
row is allowed to remain for shelter to the young and ten- 
der plants. 
Varieties in the seed. — There are four species of poppy 
seeds found in Armenia, white, yellow, black, and blue. 
Of these each variety produces a different coloured flower, 
namely : that of the white seeds is lilly white ; of the yellow 
red; of the black, black; and of the blue, a deep purple. The 
white and blue varieties of seed produce large capsules, a 
