THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 35 
Peppermint Oil. — x\ccording to a recent bulletin of 
the United States Department of Agriculture, this country 
seems to be the chief producer of peppermint oil. In ad- 
dition to what is used at home, we annually export from 
50,000 to 100,000 pounds. The price ranges from 75 cents 
to $4 a pound, depending upon the supply. The plant from 
which the oil comes is the well-known peppermint {Mentfm 
piperita) and its varieties. It grows wild in many regions 
and although called American mint, is sn immigrant from 
Europe. The oil is obtained by distillation. 
The Skunk's Cabbage.— In late sprmg and early 
summer the broad leaves of the skunk's cabbage are busy 
making the starch which is stored underground in its thick 
rootstock. When the great flower-clusters start upward this 
store of starch is drawn upon as the material from which 
the tissues are built and energ}^ furnished. Some of this 
energy- appears as heat, as may be easily seen by the use 
of two thermometers that register alike. Suspend one near 
the spathe and place the bulb of the other inside the spathe. 
The latter will soon indicate a higher temperature. It is 
interesting to note that our common species is also found 
in Japan. 
Sugar from Trees. — So accustomed are we to the 
manufacture of sugar from the sap of the maple that we 
are likely to think this the only tree from which sugar may 
be obtained. As a matter of fact, the sap of many trees 
contains sugar in appreciable quantities and might be turned 
to good use were maples less abundant. This is the case 
with the butternut (Juglans cinera) and the black birch 
(Betula lenta). Both these trees produce an abundance of 
sap, but in this respect are exceeded by the yellow birch 
(B. lutea), though its sap has less sugar. The butternut sugar 
is said to taste much like maple sugar. The sap is obtained, 
as in the maple, just before the buds unfold. In other 
lands several species of palm yield sugar. 
