COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF THYMOL FROM HORSEMINT. 3 
CULTURAL METHODS FOR HORSEMINT. 
PLANTING THE SEED. 
The seed of horsemint matures in the Southeastern States during 
August and September and is ready to be gathered as soon as the 
calyx is dry and has assumed a dark-brown color. If left too long 
the largest and best seed will be lost and only the inferior seed 
will remain for collection. The seed can readily be gathered by 
hand by stripping off the entire heads, together with such leaves 
or bracts as remain on the stem. This material should be spread 
on a cloth or tight floor and as soon as it is thoroughly dry the seeds 
can be removed by rubbing through a sieve having 12 to 16 meshes 
to the inch, common window screening being about the right size. 
Further sifting and very gentle winnowing will remove most of the 
foreign material. 
In the extreme Southeastern States, where the winters are free 
from severe frosts and snow, the best results are secured by planting 
the seed about the first of November in a carefully prepared seed bed. 
In order to avoid too thick sowing it is advisable to mix the seed with 
dry sand and sow the mixture evenly on the seed bed. A bed of 15 
square feet will provide enough plants for an acre if properly planted. 
After the seed has been sown, a layer of fine soil about one-eighth 
of an inch thick should be sifted over it and the bed well shaded by 
cloth. A good form of seed bed is that used by market gardeners 
in the South for raising celery plants. The soil should be kept 
moist, and as soon as the plants begin to come up the cloth should 
be removed. The seed will germinate in from six to ten days, and at 
two months from sowing the plants should be 2 inches high and ready 
for transplanting to the fields. If this work is done following a rain 
and the soil is in good condition no watering is necessary. 
SOILS. 
Horsemint occurs wild on light sandy soils and under cultivation 
has given the best results on this type of soil. It is essentially a 
lime-loving plant and its culture has not been successful on soils 
which were strongly acid, nor on heavy clays or low land where 
the drainage was poor or the amount of moisture excessive. The 
best results have been secured on rich, well-drained sandy loam, 
underlain with marl or clay at a depth of from 2 to 3 feet. Consid- 
ering all the factors involved in the commercial production of this 
plant, it probably would be advisable to make plantings on light 
sands, such as the high pine lands of the Southeastern States. Horse- 
mint occasionally occurs wild in dry fields on sandy soils from south- 
ern New York to Florida and westward to Wisconsin, Kansas, and 
Texas. It probably would thrive under cultivation wherever it is 
found growing wild, although its profitable production will depend 
upon local economic conditions. 
