ECONOMIC PLANTS 



223 



usually to reach maturity during the hot summer season 

 of cold countries. It thrives best on moist alluvial 

 soil. If conditions 

 are favorable to 

 rapid growth at first, 

 the fiber is of greater 

 length. Like flax, 

 hemp is pulled soon 

 after flowering, if cul- 

 tivated for a fine 

 fiber, but if a coarser 

 fiber and seed are the 

 object, the plants 

 should mature. 

 Caged birds are very 

 fond of hemp seed. 



STIMULANTS 



Mints. Of the 

 plants which furnish 

 stimulants, either 

 medicinal or aro- 

 matic, the mints are 

 the only ones culti- 

 vated to any extent on farms in this country. The 

 plants of this family are fragrant perennials, the foliage 

 containing an essential oil, which is extracted for va- 

 rious uses. The three best known species are the spear- 

 mint, used for culinary purposes, peppermint, used in 

 making candy, and bergamot-mint, in perfumes. All 

 mints have medicinal properties. 



Any soil that is good for potatoes will serve for 

 mints. This crop exhausts the soil upon which it is 



FIG. 113. Hemp. 



