568 



OLEAGiyorS PLA^^TS. 



clean. Tlie ground should be prepared as for maize, as soon as possible in tlie 

 spring furro-vved, and roots planted m drills twenty inelies apart, and covered 

 •with, loose earth, two inches deep, the planter walking upon the drill and tread- 

 ing it firmly. The proper time to procure roots is when the herb is a year old, 

 when from six to eight sqnare rods of ordinaiy mint will yicid a sufficient 

 quantity of roots to plant an acre, and the crop fi-om which the roots are taken 

 will not he deteriorated, but rather benefited by their extraction. As soon as 

 the herb makes its appearance it requires a light dressing with a hoe, care being 

 taken not to disturb the young shoots, many of which have scarcely made their 

 appearance above the ground. In the course of a week or two the crop requires 

 a more thorough dressing, and at this stage of gi'owth the cultivator may be 

 used with advantage, followed by the hoe, carefully eradicating weeds and grass 

 from the drills^ and giving the herb a light chessing of earth. Another dress- 

 ing a week or two later is all the crop requires. 



The two following years no labor is bestowed upon the crop, though it is 

 sometimes benefited by ploughing over the whole surface, very shallow, in 

 the autumn of the second year, and harrowing lightly the following spring, 

 which fi-equently renews the vigor of the plant and increases the product. 



The mint should be cut as soon as it is in full bloom, and the lower leaves 

 "become sere; the &st crop_ will not be fit to cut as early as the two succeed- 

 ing ones. It is then to be hayed and put in cock, and is then ready for 

 distillation. 



I have consulted many mint growers, who have cultivated it for a series 

 of years, in regard to the average yield per acre, and have arrived at the 

 following estimate, which I think is low, provided the land is suitable, and 

 is properly cultivated. I estimate the average yield per acre for the fii'st 

 year at IS lbs. ; the second year at 14 lbs. ; and the third year at 8 lbs. — 

 making the product for three years 40 lbs., which I think will not materially 

 vary fiom the actual result, though growers aver they have raised from 30 

 to 40 lbs. per acre the first season. 



Several years since, the only method of extracting the oil then known 

 was by distilling the herb in a copper kettle, or boiler, and condensing in 

 the usual manner; a slow and tedious process, by which about 12 or 15 

 pounds of oil could be separated in a day. But recently steam, that poAverful 

 agent, which has wrought such immi nse changes in our social and national 

 economy, has been applied to this subject with its usual attendant success. 

 The present method consists in the use of a common steam-boiler, of the 

 capacity of from 100 to 150 gallons, from which the steam is conveyed by 

 con^ductors into large wooden air-tight tubs, of 200 gallons capacity, 

 containing the dried herb ; from which it is conveyed, charged with the 

 volatile principle of the plant, into a water-vat. containing the condenser. 

 The water collected at the extremity of the condenser, although it does not 

 re^dilv commingle Avith the oil, is highly tinctured with it, and is used to 

 feed the boiler. Two tubs are necessary, in order that when the "charge"' 

 is being worked off in one, the other can be refilled. The oil is then to be 

 filtered, and is ready for market. The expense of a distillery is estimated 

 at 150 dollars, which, with the labor of two men, and a cord of dry wood, 

 will run 40 lbs. of oil per day. The usual price for distilling is 25 cents 

 per pound. 



The cost of production is of course greatly modified by circumstances. 

 If grown on rich bottom lands, or x^rairie, unusually free frcm weeds and 

 grass, the labor required will be comparatively trifling. From ir formation 

 derived from the principal mint growers in this vicinity, I have prepared 

 the following estimate of the cost of production of an acre of mint for three 

 years : — 



FIRST YEAR. 



Dollars. 



Eent of an acre of land one year 8.00 



One day plriugh and di-ag, one hand and team 2.00 



Half day furrowing, digging roots, one hand and horse . . 1.00 

 Three days planting, at 75 cents 2.25 



