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le eer id ae Wheiay” the field was Yanai manured in March 
) loughed. The mint soon sent up fresh shoots and seemed refreshed, renewed 
strengthened. The new shoots were dark in colour, a good many of them dark 
hg ddist brown. 
“i Pater likewise continued his experiments with Piilenesc peppermint’). It withstood 
the severe winters quite well, so far, and could be propagated by means of seeds as 
1 as of suckers. The plants obtained that way had a different look, another oil 
¢ content and the oil itself was different too, as stated already by Irk?”). 
In spring 1916, the Japanese mint was transplanted on another bed, which had 
pl previously been well manured. 2.5 kos. of ammonia sulphate had been used for the 
30: qm. and, in addition, half the bed received 1.25 ko. of kainite in the middle of 
jun e. The plants developed specially well. They were cut twice in the course of the 
summer and distilled in a fresh state. The half of. the bed that had been manured 
vit potash yielded 73 kos. of fresh herb for the. first cutting’ (middle of July), i. e. 
kos. more than the other half; on which no potash had been used. The yield in oil 
was 0.15 per cent. for either. In the beginning of September, the mint began to flower 
. a was attacked by rust. Middle of September, the second crop took place, when 
the bed without potash yielded 58 kos. of herb with 0.189 per cent. of oil and the bed 
‘manured with potash 59 kos. of herb with 0.169 percent. of oil. It seemed that the 
i content of the Japanese peppermint had not decreased since.1913. 
~ Finally, Pater mentions the degeneration and variability of cultivated mints, which 
s arts as soon as the soil is not sufficiently rich in nourishment or does not come up 
to the requirements of the mint in other respects. The degeneration is noticeable not | 
rey ily in the look of the plant but also in the smell and specially in the quantity and 
4 ality of the oil. Degeneration, therefore, is one of the most important questions of 
mi int growing. The study of this peculiarity is all the more interesting, as, along with | 
the degeneration, variation, atavism and other irregularities likewise occur, which 
ea letimes give us a clue as to the origin and relationship of tHe united mints. 
This brings the author upon the difficult ground of systematizing the Mentha species. 
3 He presumes that the Hungarian spearmint is most closely related to Mentha viridis, L., 
‘Of which it is perhaps a variety, but originated on a vegetative way, as it is so stable 
and unchanging. The oil of Hungarian spearmint distinguishes itself by its extraordinary | 
‘hig contents of carvene*), Pater has cultivated Hungarian spearmint already since 
189 ; the plants have partly run to waste, but he has not noticed any case of atavism. 
Retcr, only suckers were used for propagation. Whereas peppermint degenerated 
la poor soil, spearmint remained constant. On an experimental field, there was a 
ibe ed of spearmint in the neighbourhood of-a peppermint bed. The peppermint showed 
‘S signs of degeneration and took the spearmint aroma, so that the oil obtained became 
iseless as a peppermint oil. The spearmint, on the contrary, did not suffer from the 
neighbourhood. It is to be recommended, in consequence, not to grow the two species 
sid by side. Agnelliis peppermint degenerates strongly, when various types can be 
distinguished. . 
: Pater obtained the best results with cultivating Mitcham peppermint, which reminds 
. Bic in appearance of Mentha aquatica, L. and he thinks that it is descended from it. 
There are also variations of Mitcham peppermint. The colour of stalks and leaves. 
changes as easily as with other cultivated sorts. 
= 
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t fh “i *) Comp. Report April 1915, 65. — 2) Pharm. Zentrath. 55 (1914), 459; Report April 1915, 34. — *) Comp. 
uilde meister and Hoffmann, Die atherischen Ole, 2"4 ed., vol. Ill, p. 593. 
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