1039 

 Notes from Correspondents abroad. 



Mr. Meyer In a communication from Japan, says: 

 "These last days I have been making inquiries into 

 the peppermint-situation, but on the whole with nega- 

 tive results. You may remember you asked me for pep- 

 permint roots for Dr. Stockberger. Well I first saw 

 the American Vice-Consul about the roots, that they 

 sent in 1911, (No. 32167); he did not know, but he 

 sent for the gardener from whom they had obtained 

 them. This man first sent his wife, because it was 

 rainy weather yesterday, but in the afternoon he 

 showed up himself. He said there were three kinds 

 grown in this part of Japan and the kind he obtained 

 for the Consul was the best. He said that to go to 

 the peppermint farms and to come back again would 

 take two days. He did not know varietal names at all 

 and proved to be quite useless for giving further in- 

 formation. I then went to the Kobe Foreign Board of 

 Trade for information, but there I couldn't get any- 

 thing beyond the intelligence that the peppermint-oil 

 from Hokkaido is considered better than the local 

 product. Then I visited the firm of McKay & Co., a 

 firm exporting mint-oil, several times and met a 

 Japanese who is dealing in mint-oil. This man told 

 me that there is only one variety of mint and that the 

 quality of the oil depends upon the care that is be- 

 stowed in the process of getting the oil out of the 

 leaves. The mint is simply called 'Hakka' and he had 

 never heard of varieties. Mint farms exist in the 

 vicinity of Okayama, f hrs. by train to the west of 

 Kobe. I then saw a specialist in the great firm of 

 Suzuki & Co., wholesale dealers in oils and drugs and 

 this gentlemen told me there is only one variety grown 

 in Japan, but since they have three crops a year and 

 since the product of these crops varies considerably, 

 people might think that there are several kinds of 

 peppermint, but this is not so. Well, I had to give 

 it up. Had I had more time at my disposal I would 

 have visited the farms, but as my boat leaves for 

 China tomorrow morning, I cannot do so. This, how- 

 ever is a nice piece of work to do for a young fellow 

 who wants to train himself into an efficient agricul- 

 tural explorer. I hope to retire from this work after 

 some years and a young healthy and intelligent fellow 

 ought to continue this work in Asia. One thing I 

 would suggest to Dr. Stockberger, viz.: if there are 

 varieties of peppermint and if these varieties Indi- 



