MINT. 203 



season, the growth being much prejudiced by drought ; the old 

 plants particularly require for their development a large amount 

 of moisture in early Spring. 



The oil is packed in tin cans or glass demijohns, holding about 

 20 pounds each. From the oil thus produced, the refiners and 

 exporters make their selections, and upon their judgment in select- 

 ing, skill in refining, and their honesty, as well as the care used in 

 excluding foreign plants from the crop, depends the quality of the 

 American oil found in the market. It is very probable that most 

 of the adulteration which the oil undergoes, takes place after it 

 has left the hands of the original distillers and refiners. 



^ext to AVayne County, Xew York State, the largest peppermint 

 producing locality in the United States, is St. Joseph County in 

 Michigan. Xearly every farmer thereabout now raises some 

 peppeimint, but usually in connection with other crops, while a 

 few devote their whole time to its cultivation. Each owner of a 

 distillery on the average distils the crops of ten other growers with 

 his own, for which he makes a charge of 25 cents per pound of oil 

 obtained. One farm about eight miles south-east of Three Rivers 

 contains about 900 acres, of which 400 acres are put into mint 

 each year and alternated with clover to keep up the strength of 

 the soil. The owner of this farm, Mr. Hall, has four large 

 distilleries, capable of producing a total of some five hundred 

 pounds of oil per day. The largest still-house is situated in the 

 centre of a 600-acre field ; it contains four stills, and is surrounded 

 with mint fields as far as the eye can see. The distillatory 

 apparatus here in use differs from that in general use in America 

 only as regards the condenser, which, instead of being in a coil, is 

 in longitudinal sections about 14 feet long, which lap under each 

 other, the top about 6 inches in diameter and tapering to some 

 2 inches at the bottom or outlet, and is made of tin. The cooler 

 consists of a tin trough about 8 inches in diameter with perforated 

 bottom, the length of the condenser, over w^hich it sets; and through 

 the perforations a constant stream of water is kept flowing over 

 the tin condensers. When fresh herb is distilled, it requires 

 generally an hour to obtain all the oil, but if it has been partially 

 dried, thirty minutes will suffice to accomplish the purpose. It 

 is also observed that the dried plants will pack much more closely 

 in the vats than the green ones, allowing of a greater quantity to 

 be distilled at one charge, and those distillers who consider that no 



