The Washington herald., 1913-07-27
Famous Kentucky Beverage
Is Not Ordered with the
Frequency that Formerly
Characterized It.

Back Of town there lives an old German
lady In a little house>that Is the least pre-
tentious OF all the neighborhood- Every
lady may be seen threading her way
through the busy streets Of the business
district with basket Of mint on her arm,
says the New Orleans Picayune.
The old lady. is Mrs. Meyer. who was
Fraulein Lena Miller in the old country.
Her husband was Fritz Meyer. the gar
dener They came over to the United
States shortly after the civil war. For
over forty years they cultivated their
little patch Of mint. along with vegetables
for the market Twenty years ago Mr..
Meyer was stricken with paralysis and
was incapacitated for work. but Mrs.
Meyer continued to serve the customers
who remained with them throughout the
years. Last year Mr.. Meyer died.
Learned to Grow Peppermint.
Mr.. Meyer first came to New Orleans
before the civil war. when he was 20 years
old. He resided with his uncle At the
corner of Ursuline and Broad. and 1t was
from his uncle that he learned how to
grow the peppermint as 1t should be
grown. He returned to Germany for his
sweetheart, to whom he was married at
the age of q. They had lived for thirty
eight years at the corner Of Republic and
Law. although these streets were not 30
named in the old days. Now that Mrs.
Meyer Is close on to 20 years old she is
no longer able to hold her own in the
competition of the open market. and she
has lost a good deal Of her patronage In
recent years. However, three OF her Gus
toners have been with her for the past
twenty-five years
"why, 1 remember when my husband
used to sell $3 worth Of mint every day
and "a worth on Saturdays" said Mrs.
Meyer. But they are not using mint as
they use to. The people here In New Or
leans were at one time very fond Of mint
juleps-but nowadays I only sell 30 or 10
cents worth Of mint every other day."
Mint Daily BoaEht.
In the old days no sideboard was COM
plete without the ingredients Of mint
julep; but with the advent Of the modern
soda water fountain the mint has been
displaced by a miscellaneous array OF
soft drinks. However. all Of the frst.
class saloons buy q few sprigS Of mint
every day or so for the colonels and their
kin. Several varieties Of mint are grown
in New Orleans for this trade
Spearmint, or green mint, Is . native
Of almost all parts Of the temperate globe.
1t has erect. smooth stems, from one to
two feet high, with the whorls Of flowers
in loose cylindrical or oblong spikes at
the top; the leaves are smooth. serrated.
and destitute OF stalk. or nearly 20. 1t
has a very agreeable odor.
The peppermint IL q plant OF equally
wide distribution In the temperate parts
of the world. It Is similar to the spear
mint, but has the leaves stalked and the
flowers in short spikes, the lower whorls
somewhat distant from the rest. 1t is
readily recognized by the peculiar pun
gency OF its odor and Of Its taste.
Pennyroyal is also q spectes OF mint.
with q much-branched PROSTATE stem.
which sends down new roots as II ex-
stalked; the flowers in distinct globose
whorla Its smell resembles that Of the
other mints.
All Of these species, in . wild state,
grow In bitches and wet plS ei All OF
them are cultivated In gardens; and pep
permint frequently is for medicinal use ana
for nayoring loxer ges. Mint sauce ID gen.
orally made Of spearmint. which is also
used for havoring soups kind OF mint
with lemon-scented leaves. called Bergo-
mot mint, 10 found in some parts Of Eu-
rope. Varieties of peppermint and horse
mint. with crisp leaves. are uch culti-
waited In Germany under the name Of
curled mint; the leaves are dried and used
AZ . domestic medicine. and In p0ultices
and baths
Mint u easily propasated BY parting
the roots or by cuttings. lt = said that
mice have . great aversion to mint, and