346 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
JUNE 4 
®|r (fufrist. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Peppermint, Spearmint and Bergamot. 
0. 8., Swan, Noble Co., 2nd., having a piece 
of black land is thinking of planting it in pepper¬ 
mint, spearmint and bergamot, and asks: 1, 
what would bo tho proper soil and culture. 2, 
the kind and probable coat of apparatus for dis¬ 
tilling the oil. 3, the product per acre. 4, the 
names of any manufactories of the article in 
nortbern Indiana or southern Michigan. 5, do 
the United States export or import such oils. 6, 
arc there any books published on the subject. 
An s.—The berg#mot tree is a native of the 
south of Europe, and is particularly abundant 
near Nice and in the neighborhood of Reggio in 
Calabria, whenco the entire supply of bergamot 
oil ia drawD. The tree is small and produces a 
round fruit like a small orange, the riud of 
which yields tho oil by distillation. It ia not culti¬ 
vated in this country and could not be grown in 
Indiana. Spearmint, the ordinary mint of our 
gardeus, ia generally grown only for culinary 
purposes, but, when culivated for the purpose of 
extracting the oil, tho oulhnre and distillation 
are tho same as those for peppermint. 
Peppermint is largely cultivated for the pro¬ 
duction of tho oil of peppermint, a culture 
which was at one time confined exclusively, in 
this country, to Massachusetts, the western part 
of New York and some countries iu Ohio, but 
was later taken np by the farmers in southw:Bt- 
ern Michigan where for some years between 
2000 and 3000 acres have been devoted to its 
culture. At present St. Joseph County, Michi¬ 
gan, and Wayno County, N- Y-, have tho repu¬ 
tation of cultivating it most, extensively and 
profitably. Peppermint has a porrenial root and 
an annnal herbaceous stem. It requires a good 
soil, deep aud friable, such as a rich alluvial or 
good loarny soil, free from grubs and wire-worms. 
Tho land should be thoroughly pulverized by 
frequent plowiogs, harrowing*, and rollings. 
According to the English method, the field 
should bo laid out in lands or stretches about ten 
feet wide, upon which the yonng plants are to 
be set. The plant iB propagated by means of 
offsets from old fields, and as soon as they appear 
Btrong above the ground, usually in May, they 
are taken from the old roots and set in the pre¬ 
pared soil at. intervals of from four to eight 
inches. This is generally done by boys, some 
bringing lho sets from the old plantation, others 
planting them with short wooden dibbles. In 
this country the laud is usually laid off in furrows 
15 to 24 inches apart, and sets or parts of old 
plants, are planted thickly in the rows. 
To obtain a fine crop, it is necessary to keep 
the hoe constantly at work, as freedom from 
weeds is essential to a good crop, and since the 
land' must be very rich, the abundant weeds, 
unless properly attended to, will seriously in¬ 
jure the young plants. The volatile oil is most 
abundant at the period of inflorescence and the 
crop should therefore be cut when in full flower, 
usually from August to October. For this pur¬ 
pose bright sunshiny weather, with little or no 
rain, should be selected. The operation is per¬ 
formed with a cradle having two fingers and the 
minfci8 raked into cooks where it remains 12 
hours to wilt before it is distilled. The flrst 
year'B crop is generally considered the best, not 
only because the plants are young and vigorous, 
but the mint is then free from a weed which is 
apt to spring np later. This weed is c-tlled 
mare’s-tail fire-weed, and by several other names, 
resembles lettuce somewhat, and yields a volatile 
oil, bitter aud pungent, which injures the prod¬ 
uct, if mixed with it. The second and third 
years the crop is much less; the fourth year the 
field is plowed and the crop springs up from the 
broken roots; the yield of the fifth year is 
about equal to that of tho seoond, and after 
this the field is devoted to other uses. Iu Eng¬ 
land however it doeB not yield a full crop until 
the third year. 
The still ia a wooden vat of heavy staves 
hooped with iron, four and a half feet high, and 
six feet in diameter. The wilted mint is packed 
into it by treading it close with the feet until tho 
vat is full when the lid is fastened down steam- 
tight. A pipe enters tho lower part of the vat 
to convey steam from a boiler, and another 
from the top of the vat connects with a “ worm " 
as in an ordinary still. On the admission of the 
steam the oil from the mint is volatilized, and 
its vapor, mixed with steam, is condensed in the 
worm. Tho mixed oil and water aro oolleoted in 
a receiver or separator. ThiB is usually a deep 
and narrow vessel having a siphon-shaped spout 
joined to it near tho bottom. In it the oil, owing 
to its lighter specific gravity, floats on the top 
and ia from time to time removed, while the 
water runB out at the bent spout. The Btalks, 
leaves, and refuse of tho still, being useless as 
cattle food, should be converted into manure and 
returned to tho land. The oil is packed in tin 
cans holding 20 pounds each aud a large share 
of the product is exported. The cost of the 
apparatus for distilling will depend upon its size, 
finish etc., and can be ascertained from any 
manufacturer of distilling apparatus. 
3 . The quantity of oil obtained per aoreis 
very variable, as a dry and hot summer is re¬ 
quisite in order to secure a full amount. Rain 
is very injurious when the plants are approach¬ 
ing maturity, making them too succulent, so 
that they oocupy a much longer time in distilla¬ 
tion anil yield very little spirit. In common 
practice iu England, the produoe varies from 
ten to twenty pounds of oil to the acre, the 
plants yielding, in favorable seasons, from four 
to six ounces per cwt. 
Good land, good hoeing and good manuring 
are necessary and then the plant may after all 
turn rusty. From the heavy expenses incurred 
in the labor requisite to render the plants strong 
and valuable, iu the purchase and application of 
manures, and in fitting up tho necessary appa¬ 
ratus and carrying on the operations of the dis¬ 
tillery, as well as on account of the skill and at¬ 
tention which are continually required, the 
cultivation of peppermint can hardly be profit¬ 
able, except as a specialty, aud should never be 
undertaken without personal acquaintance with 
the methods and processes, for these can be 
only imperfectly learnt from books or papers. 
4. We don’t know the names of any iu that 
part of the country. 5. Tho United States ex¬ 
port peppermiut oil and import bergamot, aud 
probably spearmint, <5- We do not know of any 
books specially devoted to this snbjeot, but it is 
incidentally referred to in several standard 
agricultural works. 
Effect of Colored Light on Plants. 
F. G. F., Eoxborough , N. C., asks 1. for an 
explanation of the effects upon flowers, of light 
passing through glass of various colors: 2, how 
to start Dahlias so as to iusure success. 
Ans. — To assimilate materials of growth, 
plants are dependent upon the influence of light. 
When onoe assimilated they aro not altogether 
so dependent. AU the parts of green-leaved 
plants which are nndorgrouud or otherwise ex¬ 
cluded from light, are nourished *by the products 
of assimilation produced iu the light; so also 
parasites destitute of chlorophyll live on the 
work performed by plants that, contain chloro¬ 
phyll, and are therefore dependent indirectly on 
light, evon though the whole of their develop¬ 
ment may be completed in darkness, as in the 
tmffle. In other cases they only emerge tu un¬ 
fold iu the air the flowers already formed under 
ground aud disseminate their seods as in Mono- 
tropa (Indian Pipe.) Many plants which do 
oontain chlorophyll and which live on inorganio 
food, complete their growth in enttro darkness, 
putting forth their green leaves only at certain 
times for the purpose of again accumulating 
beneath the ground fresh formative material 
Such is the case with tho Autumn Crocus, Tulrp, 
Crown Imperial, etc., aud with such as form tu¬ 
bers and rhizomas. Now, ordinary light is made 
up of a number of different colors, which is shown 
by decomposing it through the medium of the 
spectrum and the rays of different refraugibility 
affect vegetation quite differently. Certain 
functions are induoed only by the strongly re¬ 
frangible, others only, or ohiefiy by those of 
less refrangibility. 
The growth of plants depends upon their 
power of decomposing carbonic acid gas, i. e 
their power of appropriating (assimilating) 
carbon. Pt'klTER has deduced tho following 
values for the decomposing power of the dif¬ 
ferent regions of the spectrum, the action of 
white light beiug placed at 100. 
For Bed—orange.32 } 
Yellow...}6.1 
Green.....lo.i) 
Blue—Violet. 7.6 
The effect, therefore, of “ various oolored 
glass upon different flowers ” may bo inferred by 
our friend. There is no light for plants like 
white light or God would have provided it. 
2- Dahlias are propagated by seeds, roots and 
cuttings. The best way to “start” Dahlias is 
to place tho tubers in gentle heat. Covering 
them with mellow soil in a warm place and cov¬ 
ering at night will answer. In this way buds 
will soon start and the tubers may be planted 
when desired. 
•Sachs' Text Boob, p. 660. 
Barreling Apples. 
F. O. Denton, Botetourt Co., Ya., aBks what 
style of barrels is principally used by Western 
New YorkarB for shipping apples; is there a 
machine for cutting tho staves or are they 
sawed ; cannot they be put up at a cost of from 20 
to 25 cents in a oountry where wood is plentiful; 
what is the best way to press apples in the barrel 
for shipping. 
Ans.— Apples are mostly shipped in barrels 
made of staves which are cut with a knife. The 
blocks of elm or oak are steamed and a single 
stroke of a stout broad knife makes a stave. 
They are seasoned aud then the edges trimmed 
by machinery. The beadB are sawed. They can 
be made for about the price here suggested. 
For shipping, apples are heaped up about two or 
three inches above where tho head goes in. 
Hardware dealers sell an iron screw-presB for the 
purpose of forcing the head down to its place. 
A cheap lever can be made, but it is not so handy 
as the screw. 
An Ailing Dog. 
N. C. Williams, Madison Co., O., asks how 
he should treat his dog : it took a Bevere cold 
about two weeks ago; wffien out, it discharges 
any number of worms; the skin has turned very 
yellow and so have the eyes ; tho animal refuses 
to eat, bat does not appear to bo in misery. 
Ans. — Make ten gcainB of santonin, eight 
grains of cowhage into four pills by adding a 
sufficient quantity of soap and syrup of buok- 
thorn. Give one in tho morning and one in the 
evening for two dayB. ir It should provo bene¬ 
ficial, repeat ending with four tablespoonfuls of 
castor-oil. Give in the middle of tho day twenty 
grains of root Turkey rhubarb. Let bis food 
consist exclusively of rice, boiled in meat-broth 
of the consistency of tbick soup. Feed of this 
always in small quantities while yet he is in¬ 
clined to eat—if eat ho will at all. Take him 
into a warm room and wash thoroughly with 
Castile Boap and rub until dry. We tbink you 
will lose tho dog. 
Cow Yielding Thick Milk. 
A. C. Mathews, Port Dover, Onl., has a cow 
that gives thick milk; commencing iu one teat 
it continues there for one or two milkings, then 
shifts to the next and so on all round. Then 
there will be no cause cif complaint for about a 
week; tho more milk the animal yiblds, the 
worse the trouble iB ; aud a remedy ia sought. 
ANSWER BY DOOTOB SALMON. 
Changes of this nature in the milk may be 
caused by animalB eating musty food or that 
covered with vegetable growths, or by drinking 
impure water containing cryptogams, by con¬ 
gestions of the udder and even by diseases of 
the digestive organs, according to Huubner. 
In this case it would seem to be due to conges¬ 
tion of a rheumatio nature. If the cow is 
stabled, see that the stable is dry and well ven¬ 
tilated, keep her from impure water or musty 
food. As medioal treatment: give colcbioum, 
one drachm, aud chlorate of potasBa two drachms, 
twice a day ; if there is no improvement in ten 
days, bisulphite of soda in two drachm doses, 
night and morning, may prove beneficial. 
Miscellaneous. 
L. M. Brown, Onondago Co., N. Y., sends 
plant for name. 
Ans.—I t is Pulmonaria (Luugwort)—species 
probably officinalis. The specimen was much 
dried and broken. 
S. 8- Demaresl, Bergen Co., N. J-, asks 
whether there are aDy white wild swans in this 
country, and where white turkeys can be fouud 
iu quantities. 
A nr.—L arge numbers of white swaus frequent 
Currituck Bound, N. C. We do not know about 
white turkeys; can any Rubai, reader answer ? 
N. IF. Boddie, Nash Co., N. 0., sends a twig 
and inquires the name of the tree to which it 
belonged. 
Ans. — Cunninghamia Sinensis, the Chinese 
Cunninghamia—thus named after Mr. James 
CunninghamPinus lanceolata (the Lance- 
leaved Pine) aud Araucaria lanceolata, derived 
from Arauoanos a people of Chili. 
A Six-year Header, Bellsville Md.— Having 
for some time been vainly seeking for some 
bronze turkeyB with a view to purchasing them, 
asks why those having them for sale don’t, let 
the public know by advertising. 
Ans. —This oonuudrum we pass. Let those 
having such birds for sale answer, preferably 
in our advertising columns. 
L. S., Washington, D. 0., wishes to know 
what the plant is of which he sends “ root, leaf 
and stem” and “ ail about it.” 
Ans. —This ia the False Solomau's Seal be¬ 
longing to the Lily family—Smilacina racemoHa. 
stem about two feet high, slender, curved as 
if from the weight of the ovate-acuminate, 
sub-sessile leaves which number about ten, 
three-quarters of an inch apart. The peduncle 
startB from the base of the topmost leaf, blender 
aud ten inches long to the bottom of the slightly 
oompouud racemes of minute white flowers. 
The raceme is about one and a half inch 
long ; the individual flowers not larger than 
the bead of a big pin. Root, a rhizome, whit¬ 
ish-brown. Blooms here about June 10 usually. 
C. N. liieh, Mooksville, N. C., says: please 
send price list of the best threshing machines in 
your State, w ith a six-horse power; also cata¬ 
logues of the best agricultural warehouse in 
your city. 
Ans.— Our advertising columns are well filled 
with the nameB of representative agricultural 
implement, makers of ilio country: you should 
consult them. Write to Jab. Brayley, Buffalo; 
M. Williams Sc Co,, at- Johnsvillo; G. Weht- 
inghouse & Co., Schenectady; M. Harder, 
Cobleskill; Wheeler & Mellick Co., Albany, 
N. Y., & A. W. Geay’b Sous, Middletown Springs, 
Vt., for threshers aud horse-powers, aB also to 
other firms in our advertising columns. Cata¬ 
logues will bo mailed you. R. H. Allen & Co., 
N. Y. city, is one of the largest and best general 
Agricultural Warehouses in the city. 
St. Vrain, Longmont, Col,, wishes to learn by 
whom tho following books are published. 1. 
House aud Homo Papers. By Miss Beecher 
and Mrs. Stowe. 2- The Schoolmaster’s Truuk, 
by Mrs. Abby Morton Diaz. 3. Gray’s Botany. 
Ans.—1. Roberts Bros., Boston; 2. Hough¬ 
ton, Osgood & Co., Boston; 3. Ivison, Blake - 
man, Taylor & Co., New York 
Communications received for the week ending 
„ Saturday, May, 25th. 
S. E. H. — W. E. K. — J. B. M. — S. P. — C. S.— 
B. P. M.—M. B. P.—A. M, Van A.—C. H.—G. G. W. 
—J. W. I. — J. W. L—A. C. M.-D. E. S.—St. V.— 
M. It. — M. E. S. — J. F. — T. H. n. — W. B. D. — 
J. N. II.— M. S.—R. II. C,—W. H. N.—J. A. Van A. 
—J. A. W.—F. D. C.—L. A. K.—“ Eva Edgerton”— 
W. J. F.—“ May Maple”—M. V. S.—W. F.—S. II. F. 
—M. S. F.—F. D. — S. M.-R. S.—H. K.—R. A. I.— 
C. W. G., thanks— J. H. — W. B. — G. M.—Dr. A. 
C. W. — C. R. — C. W. G. — J. M.—Dr. T. H. IL— 
A. L. J.—N. V.—F. H. J—E. F. M. 
NOTES FROM EASTERN SHORE OF MARY¬ 
LAND. 
Caroline Co, Md., May 15, 187S. 
Oct-door operations beiug temporarily sus¬ 
pended by rain which has been steadily falling 
since yesterday noon, leisure is thereby afforded 
me to engage in a brief “ pencil chat ’’ with the 
Rural. During the past winter months we had 
considerable spriug weather; now, it seems as 
though wo were behind someway iu our weather 
accounts, aud iu order to fill out the time allot¬ 
ted to spring, are compelled to use some of the 
winter days, thrown aside too soon. Notwith¬ 
standing partially cloudy weather on the night 
of 13th inst., the following morning found con¬ 
siderable froHt in places; not, however, sufficient 
to do much harm. Crops are not lookiug as well 
here this season as last; wheat on light soils is 
noticeably poor in comparison with last year; 
but then farmers agree that, the wheat crop of 
1877 was superior to that of any other within 
their recollection; heuoe there will be no just 
reason to despair if the present crop falls abort 
of this exceptionally good one. 
The declino in price or commercial manures 
witbiu the last three or four years iB telling with 
marked effect upon the agricultural interests of 
the “ Eastern Shoreand it is to the Order of 
Patrons of Husbandry that the farmers are main¬ 
ly indebted for this revolution in their favor. 
Co-operation works wonders in agricultural as 
well as other pursuits. A couple of dozen farm¬ 
ers combining, in each district, purchasing ma¬ 
terials at wholesale prices, and manufacturing 
their own fertilizers, have been the menus of 
saving thousands of dollars to the horny-handed 
tillers of the soil. And really when prosent 
costs of commercial manures are compared with 
thoso of a few years ago, it is scarcely discern¬ 
ible how the averugo farmer made both ends 
meet, as but comparatively little stable manure 
is made here. Iu fact, a few of our most thrifty 
farmers say it is cheaper to use good phosphates 
at a fair price, than barn-yard manure gratis, 
reckoning cost of labor in handling, return in 
crops, etc. The reader iB not to suppose, how¬ 
ever, that this opinion extends to any great num¬ 
ber of our farmers, for the prevailing belief as 
to permanent improvement of the farm, rests 
upon the immutable basis of barn-yard aud stable 
manure. True, the amount of labor involved in 
preparing, hauling, spreading, etc., of barn-yard 
manure, on a well-stocked farm of 200 or 300 
acres, is no trilling item in the expense account; 
aud where there is a lack of brain capital to 
draw upon in tho administration of this part of 
the farm government, it is possible that arti- 
tidcial manures would be the cheaper of the 
two, as there is no doubt but that a great deal of 
barn-yard manure ia produced at too high a cost. 
It is the practice here to use all tho stable ma¬ 
nure on tho corn crop, spreading it on the land 
during tho winter and early spring; then for 
wheat there is nothing to depend on but artificial 
manures, from 200 to 300 lbs. of a good article 
being the usual quantity applied to the acre. 
J. W. Kerr. 
- ■*-*-* - 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Swan, Noble Co., Ind., May 16. 
We have had a beautiful spring fully four 
weeks earlier than common, but the weather 
has been so very wet that farmers are just 
planting the first installment of com. Fruit 
trees bloomed very full, but wet weather blasted 
a great many of the blows; still we hope for a 
good crop of apples and peaches. Jac c Frost 
or rather Jack Freeze—for the thermometer 
was two degrees below freezing point—visited 
us bo severely on the mornings of eleventh, 
thirteenth, and fifteenth as to completely kill 
grapes. They are as brown as after a Novem¬ 
ber frost. I don’t think it damaged wheat, 
though many feared it. Times are very dull; 
Kansas fever is raging fearfully now, and good 
farms can be bought cheap here. No demand 
for laborers; farmers have tired of Belling 
all they raise and some stock to pay off hands. 
c. s. 
Harlan Co., Nob., May 20. 
Weather. —It has been often claimed that 
Nebraska soil was like a spouge storing moisture 
aud holdiug it for a time of need. It has been 
thoroughly tested in this locality this season. 
Wo had an unprecedentedly heavy rain last 
December, and since then we have had no rain 
until May 12th and 15th. The grouud has boon 
