OCR Text |
Show 518 WHITE POPPY. WHITE POPPY, it so divides the stream that seldom any escapes, With the smaller ones we most commonly made themhorizontally, begin. at length attended equally well. In addition to this encourage~ ment, Iam under an engagement (in case I succeed with the society), to such whose behaviour has been uniformly good, to celebrate the circumstance by a public dinner. ning as near the top ofthe headas possible; and for this reason all the juices, if thefirst incision was madeat the bottom, would be naturally attracted by the aperture, and render every other completely fruitless, besides occasioning the certain loss of a cone siderable quantity, byfalling on the surrounding leaves; where. as, on the other hand, a proportion of milk will exude from each, and the opiumbe equally distributed over the whole sure face of the head. Noparticular directions seem necessary for repeating this ope. tion, anyfurther than that each time it should be performedin a contrary direction, and continued till no more will exude, at intervals of four or five days or more, according to circum. stances: for, as the weather proves rainy or fair, they will be shorter or longer, the heads being sooner replenished in the one thanthe other. Each of the children being provided with a tin cup, having one handle, so contrived as to fix itself to a girdle fastened round his waist, with a common gardening knife they scraped off the opium that appeared upon the heads in a soft ash-coloured substance. Dewy mornings are best calculated for this purpose, and it should he discontinued so soon as the sun has gained a sufficient powerto dissipate it ; for, if persevered in throughout the day, some of the opiumwill recede into the interstices, and more, in defiance.of every endeavour, will remain upon the heads. ‘The principal quantity exudes in the course of the night; and, uniting with the dew, it is taken off as readily and as com- pletely as with a sponge. Several regulations were adopted to excite, as much as possible, a spirit of emulation. he name of each boy was written uponhis cup, so as to ascertain, on their return from collecting, who had been the most active. And although, in consequence of the unsettled state of the weather, this part of our process continued so long as from the 6th of July to the second week in September inclusive, the good effects were felt to the last. And as, for the reason already mentioned, an hour in the morn- ing becameso invaluable, those who appeared in the ground at five o’clock, at the most busy period, became entitled to an additional pennyto their daily pay. This measure succeeded at first only with a few; but the remainder, overcome by shame, 519 The interval from breakfast time to sun-set, if the weather assumed a settled appearance, was occupied by scarifying. And here I again felt the goodeffects of stimulating measures: certain places wereallotted to particular children, according totheir ability, so as to discover who scarified the most andthe best ; the superintendant occasionally following all of them, to observe whether any work was left unfinished, and, if there were any, to complete it. If, in our progress, any one proved refractory, which happened in more instances than one, rather than have recourse to severity, and for the sake of example, he was immediately discharged. I had numerous applications, and the first on the list always had the preference as his successor. Upon the whole, considering it was the first attempt of the kind, every thing proceeded very regularly ; and had the summer been propitious, notwithstanding my formerdisappointments, I should have had great cause for satisfaction. ‘The largest quantity that my man, seven children, and myself, were able to pro. cure in one morning, from five. to nine o’clock, was one pound and a half; this happened when the dew was remarkably great, and succeeded one of the warmest days in the summer. As my notes furnish me with no further particulars, I have verylittle more to add. The opium, whenfirst collected, from its union with the dew, is much too soft to be so formedas the Society has receivedit. To reduce it to a proper consistence, taking nature for our guide, it should be thinly spread in shallowdishes, and exposed, under glasses, to the rays of the sun. My opinion is, that Turkey opium suffers considerably from the operation of fire; certainit is, that, with respect to its efiluvia, it undergoes a com. plete alteration. I have covered it with its own leaves, thinking this a very convenient mode of package, and conceivingit to be portant, in every new undertaking, by studying appearances, to yield to the general prejudices which naturally prevail in fas Your of the article to which we have been accustomed. I have several times trespassed on the patience of the Society ; on the present occasion I have again been seducedinto prolixity. I hope they will receive the same apologynowas before, know- |