MUCK AND PEAT. 11 



at first, but later the hand weeding of the field is necessary. During 

 the second year's growth the plants will cover the ground. 



The harvesting of the crop begins in the latter part/ of July and is 

 usually continued until October. The mint is cut with a mowing 

 machine, cured for several hours, raked into cocks, and hauled to the 

 distillery. At the still the mint is unloaded into large, tightly 

 hooped vats, which are covered with lids. Steam is then passed 

 through the mass of mint, volatilizing the oil, which passes into a 

 worm and is condensed. The mixed oil and water are collected and 

 separated. A product of 40 pounds of oil per acre is considered a 

 good yield and $2.50 per pound is a fair average price for the oil. 



Peppermint is usually allowed to occupy the field for a number of 

 years, although it is possible to plow the fields in the fall and to secure 

 a new set from the roots the following spring. 



Probably the most profitable crop grown upon Muck and Peat 

 is the cranberry. 1 For the establishment of good cranberry bogs 

 several conditions, aside from the existence of the necessary muck 

 or peat bed, are required. The topography must be such that the 

 Muck or Peat, when cleared, may be embanked to retain the water 

 used in flooding the beds; there must be an easily accessible supply 

 of clean sand for the top-dressing of the bed ; there must be a depend- 

 able supply of water, sufficient to flood the beds to a depth of 6 

 inches or more and to maintain the flooding for long periods of time, 

 when necessary, together with facilities for drawing off the water so 

 that it will remain 6 inches or a foot below the surface of the bed. 

 Such conditions do not occur in connection with every area of Muck or 

 Peat, and the absence of any one condition renders the establishment 

 and maintenance of the bog that much more difficult and costly. 



Cranberries are produced in the cooler climates and the muck and 

 peat deposits of the Northeastern and North Central States have been 

 extensively used for this crop. These deposits frequently occur in 

 small, rounded depressions, the kettle holes of old glacial moraines, 

 and not infrequently the adjacent upland deposits consist of sandy 

 and gravelly materials which supply the top-dressing of sand for the 

 bog. Moreover, large springs frequently break out at the edge of the 

 bog, supplying an abundance of water for the flooding of the estab- 

 lished beds. 



Where all of the essential conditions for cranberry culture are pro- 

 vided in such localities, the establishment of the bog is usually a profit- 

 able venture. 



The first step in the formation of a cranberry bog is the clearing 

 away of all timber and brush which might interfere with the sanding 



1 Reference is made to Farmer's Bulletin 176, Cranberry Culture, to Farmer's Bulletin 178, Insects 

 Injurious in Cranberry Culture, and to Farmers' Bulletin 221, Fungous Diseases of the Cranberry, for 

 further information in regard to this crop. 



