HERBA MENTHiE PIPERHVE. 485 



New York, and Ohio. In IMichigan where the plant was introduced in 

 1855, there were in' 1858 about 2100 acres devoted to its growth, all with 

 the exception of about 100 acres being in the coixnty of St. Joseph, where 

 there are about 100 distilleries. The average produce of this district 

 was estimated in 1858 at 15,000 lb; but the yield fluctuates enormously, 

 and in the exceptionally fine season of 1855 it was reckoned at 30,000 lb. 

 We must suppose that it is sometimes much larger, for we have been 

 informed by Mr. H. G. Hotchkiss, of Lyons, Wayne County, State of 

 New York, one of the most well-known dealers, in a letter under date 

 Oct. 10, 1871, that the quantity sent out by him in the previous year 

 reached the enormous amount of 57,365 lb. It is further stated by the 

 official statistics of Hamburg for the year 1876 that this port received 

 25,840 lb. of peppermint oil from the United States and 14,890 lb. from 



Great Britain. 



From the statistics quoted by Stearns ^ it would appear that the 

 produce of oil per acre is somewhat higher in America than in England, 

 but from various causes information on this head cannot be very 

 reUable. 



Peppermint is cultivated at Sens in the department of the Yonne in 

 France ^ and in Germany in the environs of Leipzig, where the little 

 town of CoUeda produces annually as much as 40,000 cwts. of the herk 



The annual crop of the world is supposed to yield 00,000 lb. of 



peppermint oil.^ r m- -l 



Peppermint oil varies greatly in commercial value, that of Mitcham 

 commanding twice or three times as high a price as the finest American. 

 Even the oil of Mitcham is by no means uniform in quality, certain 

 plots of gi-ound affording a product of superior fragrance. A damp 

 situation or badly drained ground is well known to be uutavoui- 



able to the quantity and quality of oil. . 



The presence of weeds among the peppermint is an important cause 

 of deterioration to the oil, and at Mitcham some growers give a gratuity 

 to their labours to induce them to be careful in throwing out other 

 plants when cutting the herb for distillation. One grower of peppermint 

 known to us was compelled to abandon the cultivation owing to tne 

 enormous increase oi iMentha arvensis L. which could not be sepaiatea, 

 and which when distilled with the peppermint ^'^^^/d the flavour otie 

 latter. In America great detriment is occasioned by the S'<^^^^^^^' 

 Erigeron canadensis L. Newly cleared ground planted with FPF^m "^ 



liable to the intrusion of another V^^^^^ f }^}' ?'^'\}:ZC^^; 

 oddites hicraci folia Raf.. which is also highly injurious to the quality 



..^ifol 



of the oil.'^ 



mint is a 



Uses-^A watery or spirituous solution of ml of P.^.P^ """^3'^^f 

 grateful stimulant, and is a frequent adjunct to other ^^^^^^^^^^ 

 peppermint is extensively consumed for flavouring sweatmeats 



extensively 

 cordials. 



\To whose paper On the Peppermint Plan- culture en ^''j"''^' "'"'^'''J^e" fe«' reconnaUre, 



tfons ofMld^an in the Proceeding, of the de fes^ et voy^n 



Amepc. Pharm. Assoc, for 1858, we owe 1^^' f ^>,tJS^,, Am. Ph. Ass. 1876, 



the few particulars for which we can here ^ Todd, i >occcai j 



attord space.— To be further consulted, same 828 A^n-iran Journ. of Pharm. 



'^o«m. de Pharm. viii. (1868) 130.- March 18/0. i-u. 

 Abstract from Roze, La Menthe poivr^e, sn 



