Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-07-10
A WHOLE FIELD Of MINT.
Michigan Farm That Could Furnish
Iuiaps for the Million.

! JuitpS iUT luC Wthiv"'
| There is plot OF ground in South
ern Michigan which, probably. moi
many generations ago formed part OF
! the lake of the name, says the New
York Times. In course of time it be,
came fresh-water swamp, as value
less a piece OF property as might be
found. To-day it is prosperous, fer
tile farm, upon which one of the most
interesting industries of the world is
conducted on a large scale. This
change was made possible by the march
OF modern science, which has carried
farming, as all other..things. along with
it. Ditch digging reclaimed this
S wamp, the bitches serving first as
drains, later for irrigating purposes.
Campania Farm, IS ithas been man,
ed by it's owner, Congressman Todd, is
about two miles wide and is as fiat as
a duck pond. There are no fences
around it, but the bitches are laid with
Mathematical precision. At the exact
centre of the farm are the buildings,
from which the whole is operated and
in which live as many people as are
found in many villages
As the visitor draws near the farm
be sees stretching before him what ap-
pears to be lake of green, crinkly
waves. which at nightfall is covered
with thick vapor. He becomes con-
acious of smarting in the eyes and
tingling sensation in the nose. Me
mories of the big peppermint drops and
sticks OF striped candy of childhood
pass through his mind.
He is. in fact, entering the largest
mint field in the world, where is raised
most of the peppermint that is used in
the manufacture of oil for flavoring
confectlons in United States.
Campania Farm is a busy place. The
workmen all live on the grounds. 1t
conducted on model plans. A large
boarding house accommodates 100 men
and Congressman Todd has his sum-
mer house near by. There are ice-
houses, farm buildings, warehouses
and library and clubroOm for the
workmen. There is a barn which is
said to be the largest in the world.
This barn solved one of the earliest
problems, and the most embarrassing
which confronted Mr.. Todd when he
set out to conquer the swamp and re-
claim it from the waters and make it
useful. This was the question as to
what was to be done with the hundreds,
and later thousands, of tons OF mint
hay after the Oil had been extracted
from it. He determined upon an ex-
pertinent. He purchased 1000 acres
of farm land in the northern part of
Michigan and put out to pasture
herd of 500 short-horn cattle. In the
Fall the herd was brought south and
housed for the Winter in the big barn.
The experiment proved successful,
as the peppermint plants are excellent
fodder when dried. Besides there was
the advantage of giving employment
to the workmen in the Winter months.
The barn is built on unique plans. 1t
is in the shape OF a star, there being
half a dozen arms radiating from q
SIX sided rotunda in the centre.
Mint grows from roots similar to
hops and spreads by runners. The en-
tire ground is soon covered after the
roots are planted, and as soil which is
suitable for mint is also suitable for
weeds large crop of these must be
tirelessly extracted. After the season
is well advanced and cultivation is no
longer practicable the wedding is done
by hand and the amount of labor re-
quired is very large.
At harvest time the mint is combed
and carded in one direction by means
of powerful two-horse rake. 1t is full
of snags and crinkles like a head OF
tousled hair. Mowers are then run In
the opposite direction and the plants
cut.
The best yield, in quality, comes
from the first years crop, AS the oil is
made from the leaves and tender ends
of the stems. but the second and third
years crops are said to be the most
profitable, as they do not need replant-
ing, nor so much wedding. Each Fall
the ground is plowed six inches deep
and the crop comes without resetting.