Poppy, or Maw

Papaver somniferum, var. nigrum.

A hardy annual, growing naturally in different parts of Europe, and cultivated to a considerable extent in Germany for its seeds, which, under the name of "Maw-seed," are an article of some commercial importance. Stem five or six feet high, branching; leaves smooth, glaucous, clasping, and much cut or gashed on the borders; flowers large, terminal, purple and white; the bud pendent, or drooping, until the time of flowering, when it becomes erect. The petals soon fall to the ground, remaining on the plant but a few hours after their expansion; and are succeeded by large, roundish heads, or capsules, two inches and upwards in diameter, filled with the small, darkish-blue seeds for which the plant is principally cultivated.

Soil, Sowing, and Culture.—"The soils best suited to the growth of the Poppy are such as are of medium texture and in the highest state of fertilization. As the seeds are small, and consequently easily buried, the land should be well pulverized by harrowing and rolling. The seeds are sown in April, in drills about half an inch in depth, and twenty inches or two feet distant from each other. The young plants are afterwards thinned out to from six to ten inches' distance in the rows, and the whole crop kept free from weeds by frequent hoeing.

"The period of reaping is about the month of August, when the earliest and generally the largest capsules begin to open. The plants are then cut or pulled, and tied in small bundles, taking care not to allow the heads to recline until they are carried to the place allotted for the reception of the seed; which is then shaken out, and the sheaves again set upon their ends for the ripening of the remaining capsules.

"In Germany and Flanders, a mode of obtaining the first crop is to spread sheets by the side of the row, into which the seeds are shaken by bending over the tops of the plants: these are then pulled, tied in bundles, and removed; when the sheets are drawn forward to the next row, and so on, until the harvesting is completed."—Law.

Use.—Maw-seed is imported to some extent from different parts of Europe, and is principally used in this country for feeding birds.

Oil-Poppy. Law.

Gray Poppy. Papaver somniferum olifer.

Stem three feet high, smooth and branching; flowers dull-red, or grayish; capsules very large, oblong; seeds of a brownish color, and produced in great abundance.

It is chiefly cultivated in Italy, the south of France, Germany, and Flanders.

Use.—"The oil of the seeds of the Poppy is of an agreeable flavor; and, in Europe, is chiefly applied to domestic purposes, for which it is esteemed nearly equal to that of the Olive. Its consumption in this country is comparatively trifling; being principally used for the finer kinds of oil-painting and by druggists."

Opium, or White Poppy. Law.

P. somniferum, album vel candidum.

Plant strong and vigorous,—the stem, in favorable situations, reaching a height of five or six feet; flowers large, white, and of short duration; seed-pods globular, of large size, often measuring upwards of two inches in diameter; seeds small, white, ripening in August and September.

Sowing and Cultivation.—"Being an annual plant, the Poppy, when sown in spring, matures its seed the last of summer or early in autumn. It is of easy culture, and can be successfully grown in any section of the Northern or Middle States. It may be sown at any time during the month of April, or the first week in May. The best method of cultivating the plant is in rows two feet and a half apart; and, on the poppies attaining a few inches in height, they are hoed out to a distance from one another of six or eight inches.

"Opium is obtained from the capsules or heads of seed, and is extracted after they are fully formed, but while yet green. The process is simple, and may be taught to children in an hour.

"Two or more vertical incisions are made in the capsule with a sharp knife or other instrument, about an inch in length, and not so deep as to penetrate through the capsule. As soon as the incisions are made, a milky juice will flow out, which, being glutinous, will adhere to the capsule. This may be collected by a small hair-brush such as is used by painters, and squeezed into a small vessel carried by the person who collects the juice. The incisions are repeated at intervals of a few days all round the capsule, and the same process of collecting the exuded juice is also repeated.

"The juice thus collected is Opium. In a day or two, it is of the consistence to be worked up into a mass. The narcotic matter of the plant may also be collected by boiling; but it is only the exuded juice that forms pure Opium.

"In the opium countries of the East, the incisions are made at sunset by several-pointed knives or lancets. On the following day the juice is collected, scraped off with a small iron scoop, and deposited in earthen pots; when it is worked by the hand until it becomes consistent. It is then formed in globular cakes, and laid in small earthen basins to be further dried. After the opium is extracted from the capsule, the plant is allowed to stand, and ripen its seeds.

"The seeds of the Poppy have nothing of the narcotic principle, and are eaten by the people of the East as a nourishing and grateful food; and they yield, by expression, an oil which is regarded as inferior only to that of the olive."—Law.

The expense of labor forms the principal objection to the cultivation of the Poppy in the United States for its opium. As, however, the plants succeed well, and can be easily and extensively grown in any section of the country; and as the process of extraction, though minute, is yet simple,—the employment of females or children might render its production remunerative.