Opium Culture

Owing to the ever poverty-stricken state of the Indian raiat, or husbandman, the Government advances the means whereby he can engage in poppy cultivation. The nature of their engagement is about as follows: The cultivator unclertakes to sow a bigka, or about one-twentietli of an acre, with poppy seed. For this he is given the requisito amount of seed, If a well has to be dug, he is not only given a simi, on loan, sufflcient to carry out his purpose, but also money enough to buy bullocks in order to enable himto draw water from the well when it is finished. This is tearmed the flrst advance, and is simply given him to prepare his land for the sowing of poppy seed. The second advance is given when the plant egins to shoot above the earth's sur'ace, and the third when the plant is ibout to mature. In .Tanuary or Febuary the plants come to maturity; in hat state the buds are lanced in the ifternoon. The opium is allowed to exude till next morning, when it is arefully taken off by an iron scraper. At the same time precaution is exercised to close the incisions by running the inger over the cuts. About flve to six ncisions suflice for the drawing of the uice. The" opium is placed in brasa vessels, lightly tilted, so as to drain off thedew r any other watery substance. It is hen manipulated and placed in new earthern vessels, and is thus kept until t is brought to the weighing stations. The cultivator of poppies does not em)loy labor. His holdings are mere garlen patches, so that all the aid he re[uires, from the sewing of the seed to ;he maturing of the plant and the gathering of the opium, can be had from the nenibers of his family. The whole of liis work is done by himself, his wife, and bis little ones. Many of these opium plots, worked by a man and his famly, amount to only one-sixth or one;welfth of an acre, perhaps, in a few solated instances one man is wealthy enough to own half an acre. We can imagine how glad must be the raiat when the poppy plant has bejun to exude opium, and when his opium has all been gathered he waita patiently for the order to march with the fruitsof his labora to the vyeaghing station. It depends entirely upon the season ae to whom the cultivators can bring their opium to the government stations to be weighed. As a general rule the month of April is the beginning of the weighing season. Intimation is then given to the opium cultivators that they must present theniBïlves on a certain day with their opi um, in order to have ittested and weighed. In the districts where the poppy plant is cultivated, all are astir, and grand preparations are made for a general exodus. The opium is collected safely in red earthen pots, which are put in wicker orates, and the whole f am ily, with burdens on their heads, make for tlie weighing stations. The picturesque lndian lanes are crowded witli these men, marching like sheep to (heir destination. They only travel during the night.