EASUISH, DAWAMESE, MADJOUN, and EL MOOEN, are various forms in which the narcotic is prepared. Hashish, which is by far the moat common, is made by boiling the leaves and flowers of the hemp-plant in water containing a little fresh butter, evaporating down to a syrupy consitteuce, and straining through cloth. The butter extracts the narcotic principle, and assumes a greenish colour. Tho preparation retains its properties for many years, and becomes but slightly rancid. For use, it is compounded with confections and aromatics, and forms the basis of the el mogen of the Moore, and the dawamese of the Arabs. The madjoun of Constantinople and Algeria is composed of the pistils of the flowers, ground to powder, and mixed with honey and apices. In Central Asia, the article occurs in the bazars in the form of cakes of various shapes, mostly 5-15 in. long, 5-10 in. broad, and 1-3 in. thick, dark-brown externally, greenish internally, firm, very tough, but easily cut into shavings. These cakes are prepared from the resinous juice of the fresh, unripe flower tops, collected dining spring, mixed with sand and water to a doughy consistence, spread upon a clay surface, and dried till cohesive.
or Dutchman's flowera of Murucuja ocellata [Passiflora Muru cuja] are used in Jamaica, either infused, or mixed in a powder with wine or spirits, as a safe and effectual narcotic.
Coca, Cuca, or name " coca " is a corruption of the Aymara Indian word khoka, which latter might well be resuscitated, in order to avoid the confusion now often made between this narcotic substance and the cocoa (cacao), and coco- (coker-) nut respectively. It is a product of one species of the genus Erythroxylon, the majority of whose species are natives of S. America and the W. Indies, and is called E. Coca, the specific name being derived from the product which distinguh-les the plant from others of the same genus. It is a shrub or small tree, attaining a height of 4-8 ft. (usually about 5-6 ft.), and bearing a general resemblance to the black thorn. It is a native of the tropical valleys occurring on the eastern slopes of the Andes, in Peru and Bolivia, and is also found in a lesser degree in Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, New Granada (Colombia), and Guiana, and is doubtfully mentioned as existing in the W. Indies. At Templado,
in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Colombia, large quantities of coca (locally called hallo) am grown, and sent to the Goajira.
In many parts of the Andes, the shrub flourishes in a wild state, but in the inhabited districts, it forms an important agricultural crop, and the steep aides of the valleys, as high up as 8000 ft. above sea-lovel, where the mean temperature is 18°-20° (64°-68° F.), are often covered with cocales, or coca-plantations, forming the principal wealth of the settlers. The cultivation is commenced by sowing seeds in garden beds (almacigas) at the end of the rainy season (about 1st March in Peru). Maize is sown between the rows, to screen the young shoots from the sun, and maintain the soil in a moist condition, often the additional care is bestowed of placing arbours of palm-leaves over them; and watering must be attended to if the weather remains dry for a week or so. When ft. high, and 18 months old, the shoots are transplanted to holes on hill-side terraces, or to furrows on level ground. The usual distance apart is 18 in. each way. The ground must be carefully weeded. The plants thrive most luxuriantly in hot, damp situations, such as forest clearings; but the alkaloid principle for which the leaves are valued is more copiously developed when drier hill-side localities are chosen. The first crop of leaves may generally he taken 12 months after the transplantation, or in September, when the plants will be 2i years old. This will be only a small picking; but 6 months later, the shrubs will be in full bearing, and will yield 3-4 crops of leaves yearly, accord ing to the suitability of the locality, and the care taken in watering, &c. Usually there arc 3 pickings—the first and most abundant in March, after the rains, the second in June, and the third in September-November. With due attention, the shrubs will continue productive for 40 years. Ants appear to be great enemies to them.