Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-21
WITCH HAZEL DIsTILLERIEs.
Growth of an Industry in the River
Towns of Connecticut.
From the Hartford Courant.

From the Hartford Courant.
Few persons who use witch hazel extract
for the many purposes to which 1t is put
are aware of the way in which it is manu-.
featured. 1t has for years been used as an
ingredient for toilet and shaving soaps and
owing to its great healing properties it is
many times called golden treasure. The
name witch hazel, or witch hazel, known by
the Latin name of Hamamelis Virginiana,
came from the early settlers from England
where witch hazel, or wych hazel, is the
name applied to an elm which grows in
considerable quantity. The leaves of this
shrub small tree resemble those of the
hazel, and it's wood is often used to make
the chests of boxes for provisions, formerly
called wyches.
The American hazel is found in damp
woods from Canada to Louisiana. 1t is
shrub with long and plant branches which
sometimes reach the height of twenty feet,
but usually not over ten feet. The flowers,
from buds formed during the summer. open
just as the leaves are falling in October
and November. Its yellow petalled flowers
poisoning at this time of year give 1t
strange appearance, which together with Its
healing properties helped to fasten upon 1t
the name witch hazel. The fruit. which 10
a two-seeded capsule, natures the follow
ing summer.
The wood is white and close and the bark
and leaves contain a large amount of tan
min. The trunks are usually twisted, and
owing to the spotted bark, slatish and
white, the shrub is known, throughout New
England at least as spotted alder. The
small branches are often used as ,divfning
rods in locating water, so great Is the faith
put In the shrub Sometimes 1t grows to be
as thick through at the butt a mans
arm, but usually it Is from one to five
inches in diameter and this Is the size de-
sired by the witch hazel diStillers.
While witch hazel is found generally
throughout Connecticut, it grows much
more thickly in some places than others;
for instance, Simsbury is rich In this shrub.
and In parts of Litchfield county it
abounds. 1t is also found in goodly guam
titles along the valley of the Connecticut
and on the hill towns nearby. So great has
been the demand for brush that 1t has been
largely cut off in many places in Middle.
sex county, especially along the river
towns, and the manufacturers are reaching
back to the country towns beyond to secure
their supply. 1t usually takes from three
to five years for a new crop to grow.
Essex Is really the home of the witch
hazel distilleries. for there 1t has been dis
titled for many years, and also in neighbor-
ing villages. Essex is the home of the larg-
est distiller, or one of the largest distillers,
in America, E. E. Dickinson. having made
his money chiefly in the witch hazel bust
ness. His father, the Rev. Thomas Dickin-
son, distilled. in a small way. witch hazel
and black birch. the latter for oil.
Today the extract Is shipped to every part
of the civilized world and it is as well
known in Cape Town as in Paris The busi-
ness increased with such rapidity that 9TH
ers branched out into the trade. but Dick
inson being in the lead continued on. while
others dropped to the rear. However, a
few continued and there are other plants
scattered along the Connecticut river towns
In Chester, Higganum and Haddam. as well
as in other. parts of the country.
About five gallons of alcohol to every bar
rel of extract is used. The securing of the
\, fnt
the farmers, as 1t is gathered in the fall
and winter AS high as 5000 pounds has
been carried at one load. The brush de-
livered brings So. 80 ton. Where 1t is pur-
chased standing the price varies as to con-
ditions In gathering. ETC.. from so cents to
81 per ton. Its yield can be imagined when
1t is known that about eight tons have been
cut from sixteen acres. 1t Is easy to cut
and being left in piles, Is gathered up
openings being left for the wagons to come
through.