The Pepper-Mint 



value was not realised until the following century, 

 and its commercial history began in 1750, when a 

 Httle land was set apart for its cultivation at Mitcham, 

 in Surrey. A large herbal pubhshed at the beginning 

 of last century writes of essence of Pepper-Mint as 

 " an elegant medicine," and suggests many occasions 

 for its use, while Dr. Thornton's " Herbal " of 1814 

 mentions the plant as being then cultivated in very 

 large quantities for the sake of its essential oil — 

 Pepper-Mint water, spirits of Pepper-Mint, oil of 

 Pepper-Mint being the three forms under which it 

 was in use. The zenith of its cultivation was reached 

 in 1850. Since then the competition from imported 

 foreign varieties of Pepper-Mints has affected it 

 adversely. 



To-day the Pepper-Mint is grown for medicinal 

 purposes at Mitcham, Carshalton, Hitchin, Wisbech 

 and Market Deeping. Two varieties of the plant 

 are found, the Black and White Pepper-Mints. The 

 former is coarser, hardier, and flowers later than the 

 White Pepper-Mint, and gives about thirty pounds of 



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