The Penn's Grove record., 1886-08-28
THE KING.
An Account of q Unique Industry in
Wayne County, n. y.

Along the banks of the Garnagua
River, which flows through the south
ern the portion of Wayne County, may
be seer 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 men
tha peperitd is the name by which 1t is
known, but to the world in general it is
PEPPERMINT. In this comparatively small
area seYen-eighths of all the peppermint
in the world is raised. The low, mucky
land is ploughed in the spring. 1t IS
then laid off i'm burrows 19 inches apart,
and sets, portions of old plants, are
planted closely together in a row. This
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 trans
planted in every other ROY for next
years crop. The first years crop is al
ways the best, because the plant is then
freest from weeds. Usually they are
allowed to run only two years, after
which the ground is ploughed under.
When the plants have grown to about
two an a half feet in height they ripen.
The harvest begins usually in the last
of August. 1t is cut like clover, with
a cradle, and raked into cocks, when it
is allowed to wilt a little before it is
taken to the distillery. The process of
distillation continues until the last of
October. The plant is brought from
the fields in large wagons and tightly
packed in steam-tight watts. The steam
Is let into the bottom of the vat and
the oil from the plants thus volatilized.
The oily vapor and steam pass through
a condensing worm into a receiver,
where the oil, being lighter than water,
is dipped off and is then put up in tin
cans holding twenty ponds and taken
to the refinery of III. &. Hotchkiss, OF
Lyons, where it is refined and put into
twenty-one ounce bottles, eighteen bot
ties in a case, labelled and shipped to
all parts of the civilized world.
Mr.. Hotchkiss is justly styled ''the
peppermint king" 1.-THE average crop
per year in Wayne County," he said,
sis between So, 900 and 10000 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 usual, 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. Seyen-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 ell
is exported. Our PRINCIPAL huye& in
sssG IRE William II. Cole 4 Co.,
London, England; David Taylor & Son,
London; Ernst Bostch, Hamburg, and
NJ. Gompertz, Paris.
"Oil of peppermint has many uses
1t is used for medicinal purposes In gem
eral, is an important agent in cholera.
1t is also used in ~flavoring conlection-
cry and in perfumes, essence and pep
permint cordials, the latter being a
favorite drink with Europeans. 1t is
used as a household medicine all over
the world, and for children's complaints
is unrivalled."
How much OF the OIL do you
handle 2"
More than three-quarters of the crop
raised in this county, and more than
any other one man in the world. l
have been in the business since 1889
and had a varied experience. In 1879
the yield wal the largest ever known,
aggregating 10000 pounds. This year
it will be hardly one-third of that.
'"The market is now at a standstill,
owing to the uncertainty Of the grow
ing crop. Last years crop is nearly all
marketed. The average price paid for
the last three months has been from
So IS to 81 per pound for the crude oil.
In 1S79it was down oS2. l have known
the market to jump 81 per pound in a
single day.
zone farmer last year brought into
our refinery a common sleigh-load,
which, when measured, was found to
be worth $4,000. You can see from
this how much money there is in pep
permint.n