The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1886-11-06
The Peppermint King.

This potentate was born IN Oneida
county, New York, on June 10. 1910,
SAYS The Farm and Household, and his
name, which has for many years been
kept standing in typo in the chief mar
ket journals of the world, is Hiram &.
Hotchkiss. Now IS years old, he is ro-
bust and plump, busting with activity
among his peppermint bottles during
the season OF oil production, and in ev-
cry way master of his speciality. When
he was years old his parents removed
from Oneida county TO Ontario county,
which adjoins Wayne, and settled in
the town u Phelps. At the age of Is
he started small country s.crc, to
which later he attached Il ilour'ng-mll,
thereby becoming n general furnishcr
of food material. About 1887, ten to
twelve years after. Burnett had put n
practical apprascmcnt on the value OF
the now famous Wavnc county weed,
Mr.. Hotchkiss began TO buy pepper
mint oil of the farmers about Lyons,
who took it TO him us the most enter
prising merchant they knew. lie also
got into the business of buying the raw
meter al, rs il would be offered TO him
in connection with wheat taken to his
mill, and dstillng the OIL himself. He
presently saw II future for Wayne
county peppermint, and, disposing of
his business in Phelps. removed in
IS4l to Lyons, here gradually to assert
dominion over the pcppermint-ol bust
ness of the world. There are two or
three other dealers in the county, but
the. bulk of the crop goes to market
through the hands of Mr.. Hochkiss.
The mint is raised chiefly in the
towns of Huron, Sodus, Galen, Marion.
Arcadia, Williamson, Lyons, and Rose.
The loan soil of the fiat lands of these
towns is naturally adapted to it, but the
richness of the plant in oil varies so
greatly that producers can not mix
their crops for distlling taking pro
rata share of the oil, rs dairymen mix
their milk in a common pool ut the
cheese factory, and take pro rata
share of the cheese. The mint acreage
of the county this year is estimated to
be about four thousand acres, and this
area is said TO be only about onc-half
what it would have been if the season
had been favorable. Mr.. Hochkiss
estimates the total product of oil this
year to be worth Sl20,000 In fairly
good season it rises much beyond this
amount. The crop is now, of course
all in, and much of it has been sent on
its way to the candy factories. the
bakeries. and the aching stomachs of
The world.
Peppermint long ago ceased to be
looked upon rs n weed in these parts.
1t is legitimate agricultural product,
planted and attended to rs systematical-
ly as a crop OF wheat or potatoes The
oil is sent to market from Lyons in
wholesale quantities, but small part
of each years product is put up in
phals ito give away to my colicky
friends" as Mr.. lIotchkiss says The
bottles for commerce contain twenty
ounces, and eighteen bottles are packed
in case, the current worth of case
at first hand being 500. Mint farmers,
who during the season of shipping and
packing frequent Mr.. Hotchkiss' fac
tory, say that peppermint-rasng is
considerably more profitable than
wheat raising, and is n surer crop, the
average of seasons and the market
considered, than almost anything else
they could produce on their available
mint soil.