Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-26
PEPPERMINT OIL
From Wayne County, New York, U. s.A,
Guaranteed Pure by
II. G. HoTCHK1ss.
II. G. HoTCHKIss.

He consigned the oil to a firm in Ham
| burg, naming the sum he should receive for
it, if it was accepted. Nothing was heard
OF 1t for a long time. Finally he received a
draft for the sum he demanded, with an
order of another consignment of the oil.
This was the beginning of an entirely new
branch of agriculture not only in this
county, but in the world. Mr.. Hotchkiss
| gave up his store and went into the business
OF growing and distilllng peppermint oil on
an extensive scale. and the farmers followed
! his example. Over 150,OO pounds of the
| oil is now distilled in Wayne county each
year, in favorable seasons. The crop is one
that returns fancy profit to the farmer, who
never gets below 81 pound for his oil and
from that price to 81 and s.. Twenty-Five
pounds of oil to the acre is the lowest aver
age of the crop, and frequently it is double
that.
WEEDS ARE TROUBLESOME.
The cultivation of pepperment is simple.
Great care is required, however, for weeds
grow fast among it. The ubiquitous daisv
rears its dainty blossoms among the pepper.
mint rows, as much at home as it is in the
meadows, and the aesthetic golden rod en-
riches the mint borders with its coIors,
While the daisy and golden rod are indis-
pensable to lady's corsage, their expressed
oil, mingling with the pungent juice of the
peppermint, does not add to the efficacy Of
the latter in curing baby's stomach ache.
The rag weed is menace to the peppermint
fields and to the purity of the product It
looks something like lettuce and yields an
abundance of bitter and pungent oil. In
sects do not interfere with the mint, as with
most every other known product Of mother
earth, and the great care is to keep the crops
free from weeds.
Two crops of peppermint are raised on .
field. The sets, or parts of old plants, are
planted in April and May, in rows two feet
apart. They grow to the height of two feet,
If the leaf is pressed the odor is very
profuse. The gathering season is in August,
and the plants are cut close to the roots
with scythe. They are cured by willing
in the sun like hay for about II hours, the
oil being expressed m ore freely then than if
fresh. From the roots the next years crop
springs.
PROCESS OF DIsTILLATIoN.
The oil is distilled in an easy way. The
still is a vat with heavy slaves nooped with
iron, and is about feet high and in
diameter. The mint is packed into the still
by treading. When the vat is full il il COW.
cred air-dght and steam is forced in bva
pipe in the bottom of the vat. The steam
volatilizes the oil of the mint. and its vaDor
is condensed in a worm, as in ordinary stills.
The mixed oil and water is collected in a re-
ceiver. and is separated by specific gravity.
Some farmers distill their own oil, but there
are 100 regular distillers in the county. Thev
toll the crop the same as a miller does
the Farmers grain for grinding. The
waste from the Vats is fed to the cattle.
Wayne county is practically the only
peppermint growing district in the world,
and nine-tenths of the worlds supply is
from there. st. Joseph's county, Michigan,
is the only other place where the plant il
grown and distilled. Wayne county oil ID
worth about 80 cents pound more than any
other. Hotehkiss, the father of the culture,
handles nearly all the oil in the country,
and still packs 1t in the same style bottles
in which he made his original shipment to
Germany, As years ago. Wayne county oil
goes upon the market pure. but is adulter-
ated with japanese menthol The whole
saler makes two pounds from pound OF
pure oil, ana the retailers about six pounda
The soil in WaYne county is warm and
rich and the climate mild. The crop Is
seldom affected BY frost, but much wet
weather is injurious to it. The roots are sub
ject TO winter killing. Besides peppermint,
the cultivation OF spearmint pennyroyal,
wormwood and tansy is made q specially,
the oils OF which have just as high standing
in the market as does the celebrated Wayne
county peppermint. ARTHUR WRIT.