Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-08-11
THE PEPPERMINT KING.
An Account of a Unique Industry 4
Wayne County, N. ".

Wayne County, N. Y.
Correspondence of the Buffalo Express.]
Along the banks of the Garnagua river,
which flows through the southern portion of
Wayne county, may be seen at this season of
the year large fields of green-colored plants,
about eight inches in height, extending over
an extensive area. To a botanist mentha
peperita is the name by which it is known
but to the world in general it is peppermint
In this comparatively small area seven
eighths of all the peppermint in the world is
raised. The low, mucky land is ploughed in
the spring 1t is then laid off in burrows
eighteen inches apart and sets, portions of
old plants, are planted closely together in a
row. This is done early in April. The
roots are transplanted every other year. 1t
takes about eight square rods of roots as
they lie upon the ground to plant an acre.
The roots that are planted this year, after
the crop is gathered, will be transplanted in
every other row for next years crop. The
first years crop is always the best because
the plant is then freest from weeds. Usual
ly they are allowed to run only two years,
after which the ground is ploughed under.
When the plants have grown to about two
and a half feet in height they ripen.
The harvest begins usually in the LIST of
and raked into cocks, when it is allowed to
wilt little before it is taken to the distil-
lery. The process of distillation continues
until the last of October. The plant is
brought from the fields in large wagons and
tightly packed in might watts. The
steam is let into the bottom of the vat and
the oil from the plants thus volatilized. The
oily paper and steam pass through con-
densiDg worm into receiver, where the oil,
being lighter tn n water, is dipped off and
is then put up in tin cans holding twenty
pounds and taken to the refinery of H. g.
Hotchkiss, of Lyons, where it is refined and
put into twenty-one ounce bottles, eighteen
bottles in case, labelled and shipped to all
parts of the civilized world.
Mr.. Hotchkiss is justly styled "the pep
permint king" "The average crop per year
in Wayne county," he said, sis between
eighty and one hundred thousand pounds,
and yields on an average about twenty
pounds to the acre in a good season. This
year the crop will be much smaller than usu-
al owing to the late planting, necessitated by
floods which occurred early in the spring.
Although there is an increase of acreage over
last year the crop looks poorer than it has
for many years. Seven-eighths of the whole
crop in the world is raised in Wayne county,
and that principally in the towns of Lyons,
Arcadia, Palmyra, Sodus and Wolcott. A
large proportion of the oil is exported. Our
principal buyers in Europe are William H.
Cole G Co., London, England; DAVID lay lor
& Son, London; Ernst Bostch, Hamburg,
and M. Gompertz, Paris.
coil of peppermint has many uses. 1t is
used for medicinal purposes in general and
is an important agent in cholera. It is also
used in fiavoring confectionery and in per-
fumes, essences and peppermint cordials, the
latter being favorite drink with Europeans.
1t is used as a household medicine all over
the world and for childrens complaints is
unrivalled."
Chow much of the oil do you handle"
''More than three-quarters of the crop
raised in this country, and more than any
other one man in the world. I have been in
the business since 1889 and had varied ex-
perience. In 1879 the yield was the largest
ever known, aggregating one hundred and
fifty thousand pounds. This year it will be
hardly one-third of that.
''The market is now at standstill owing
to the uncertainty of the growing crop. Last
years crop is nearly all marketed. The aver
age price paid for the last three months has
been from three dollars and seventy-fve cents
to four dollars per pound for the crude oil.
In 1879 it was down to two dollars. l have
known the market to jump one dollar per
pound in a single day.
Zone farmer las5 year brought into our re-
fnery a common sleigh-load, which when
measured was found to be worth four thou
sand dollars. You can see from this how
much money there is in peppermint"