A shower of rain, always possible at this season, is nearly sure to wash away the whole crop that had been prepared. Windy weather is prejudicial, causing much dust to adhere to the exudation. This latter is removed from the bead by scraping with a knife, and is transferred to a poppy-leaf held in the left hand. After every alternate scraping, the knife-blade is drawn through the mouth, that the saliva may prevent the adhesion of the juice. A proposal to substitute a vessel of water for this objectionable practice has not been adopted. Usually each head is cut but once ; as each plant, however, produces a number of heads, which mature at intervals, the same field needs to be visited a second and third time. As soon as suffi cient of the juice has been gathered on a leaf, a second leaf is wrapped around it, and the cake or lump thus enveloped is put for a short time to dry in the shade. No definite size or weight is observed for these cakes, which vary from a few oz. to over 2 lb. ; but in some villages, the average is higher than in others.
The gathered opium in the crude cakes passes from the grower to the local merchant. Money is advanced by the latter to the former on the security of the stauding crop ; and when this crop is gathered, the debt has to be liquidated, either (optional with the growers) in money or produce at the opening prices. Wheu the crops are all in, the growers and buyers meet before the mudir or governor of each district, to " cut " or arrange a mutually satisfactory price. Should the price named not meet with the approval of the growers, they must either liquidate their debts in money, or bring forward other buyers who are ready to redeem their bonds, and take the produce, other wise the grower must accept the prices offered by their creditors. In the event of competition, the parties who made the advances are entitled to the preference at the prices named at the meeting.
The purchasers receive the opium in its soft, crude, natural state. Occasionally they pack it without subjecting it to any sophistication, for conveyance to a sea-port. More generally, however, the soft drug is manipulated with a wooden pestle, and powdered poppy-heads, half-dried apricots, turpentine, figs, inferior gum tragacanth (often used by the Jews of Smyrna), a compound formed of evaporated grape-juice thickened with flour, stones, clay, scraps of lead, &c., are mixed up with it. The manipulated article is made into larger masses, which are enveloped in poppy-leaves, and packed in cotton bags, sealed at the mouth. These bags are packed into oblong or circular wicker baskets, to the weight of 80-100 chequis (130-162 lb.) in each, quantities of the little chaffy fruits of a native dock (Rumex f sp.) being placed between the cakes to prevent cohesion. The baskets are transported in pairs on mule-back to the port. On arrival, they are placed in cool warehouses to avoid loss of
weight, and remain unopened till sold.
On reaching the buyer's warehouse, the seals are broken, and the contents are examined piece meal by a public examiner in the presence of buyer and seller. All of suspicious appearance is cut out and thrown aside. The examination is not based upon any scientific method; the character is judged only by the colour, odour, appearance, weight, &c., of the sample, but so expert are these officials that their estimation is generally very correct. The classification appears usually to be three-fold :—(1) " Prime " or yerly, not so much a selected quality as the produce of certain (empirically) esteemed localities ; (2) " current," the mercantile quality, and constituting the bulk of the crop ; (3) chiquinti (chicantee), the iuferior article rejected during the examination. A 4th quality might include the very bad and wholly spurious sorts. The strength and quality are reckoned in carats, 24 carats constituting pure opium; according to custom, the examiner must pass all which reaches 20 carats, consequently n wide difference in quality may actually exist in two baskets valued alike. After examination, the tare (including the chaffy fruits used in the packing) is taken. The fruits are afterwards returned to the buyer for packing his cases. These are made large enough to hold each the contents of one basket.
The average yield of a to/oom of land may be stated at 11 chequis (2.43 lb.) of opium, and 4 bush. (of 50 lb.) of seed, valuable for the oil (see Oils—Poppy-seed). A good full crop may give 3-5 chequis, and even 7i is not unknown. The amount produced varies exceedingly ou the same plot. Thus the actual crops from 1 to/oom in 4 different years were 71, A, 21, and 41 chequis respec tively. An estimate of the average expense and result of cultivating 100 to/ooms of land with opium, supposing labour to be procurable at ordinary wages, would give the subjoined figures:— This statement must be regarded as approximative only. Presuming the grower should send his opium to Smyrna for . sale, the cost would be as follows :-150 chequfs, at 80 p., 12,000 p. ; packing charges, 20 ; inland duty at p. a chequi; 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 100 p., 100 ; total, 13,685 piasters. This shows a cost of 91.23 p. a chequi, to which add 9 p. for shipping charges to Europe, making a total of 100.23 p. ; or, at the exchange of 110 p. per £ sterling, and the usual equivalent per chegul of 1.62 lb., it would cost Ils. id. a lb. free on board ; add charges in England, insurance, freight, &c., 5d. = Ils. 6d.