Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-05-26
WITCH HAZEL SEASON.
The Fashion in Which the Brush Is Col
lected and Distilled in the Con-
necticut Valley.

Big carts, heavily loaded with brush
may be seen slowly moving along the
country roads in most of the towns in
lower Middlesex county at this time of
the year. They are laden with brush cut
from species of the alder family, which
after being chopped are put into a STILL
and the resulting product is witch hazel
extract.
The witch hazei industry dates back
about thlrty-hve wears. In the early IOS
Il young man from Essex went to New
York with Il few barrels of witch hazel.
lie knew that he had Il good tEing. and
he had the courage of his convictions.
lie placed one barrel of his produce With
every wholesale druggist who would
take one. He then hired statesmen Ia 80
out on the streets aud evenueS and sell
the witch hazel in small lots, turning the
sales over 70 the jobbers who had taken
his extract.
There are many kinds of witch hazel,
for this product is rather remarkable III
that it has no standard except that given
by its manufacturer. 1t is not subject to
2 chemical test, and the purchaser ,&uSt
depend for its worth upon the good faith
of its distiller In making alcohol, for
instance, a distilier obtains but four gal
Ions of proof spirit from hushel of
corn. though he keeps his still working
until the crack of doom.
In the diStillation of witch hazel. how
ever, distiller can take out twenty gal
Ions, forty, or even twenty barrels from
a ton of brush at one operation. lie can
keep on running the extract until the
gets tired; it is all witch hazel, but as Il
matter of fact. the first gallon is the
strongest. the second is n little weaker.
and so on until the odor in running Is bur
temporary. and there is nothing left
Others there are who. instead of using
the green twigs, distill from the dried
bark, because it is so much cheaper and
can be made any time in the year. But
the product So obtained has not the fine,
pungent odor obtained from young twigs.
Some also use a larger proportion of
water than is called for by the amount
of the material, and the resulting product
Is an aqueous distillation with but
slight traces of witch hazefs character
istic odor.
The witch hazel season does not open
until after all their crops have been har-
vested. There is at such n time little for
the farmers to do, and if it were not for
this industry ii might 90 hard with some
of them. They simply hitch their horses
to Il big team and. armed with small
hatchets, drive out into the woods. The
witch hazel grows in billy and rough
places and it is usually difficult to get to
the spot with a heavy team.
On arriving at a good growth of the
bush all hands set 10 work cutting the
brush off near the roots and piling it iE.o
the teams. There is no mistaking it, for
it has n characteristic look, and pungent
but pleasant odor. When load is OBJ
tanned it is driven to the nearest cutting
station, where it is cut. then macerated
and put into the still. The price paid
for the brush is about $3.50 to So ton.
The brush is very plentiful and easily
cut, but it is sometimes hard to reach,
and the cutting stations are often dis
tant, so that the farmers cannot dispose
of large quantities in day. There is,
therefore, not very much money in it
for them, but it has its advantages. for
it keeps them and their stock busy at a
time. of the year when there is little else
to be CONGRATULATIONS cor. Hartford
Courant.