if not able to control the distillation when 
necessity compels the cutting. 
Stills cost from $200 to $500, according to 
the elaborateness of the buildings and the qua¬ 
lity of the work and material in the still. I 
have not the space to enter upon a detailed 
description of a still. The person desiring to 
engage in the business would naturally desire 
to visit a still and learn its mechanical con¬ 
struction and some of the “points” in the 
working of it. There is nothing abstruse or 
highly scientific in its manipulation; average 
“horse sense” succeeds. It needs watchful 
attention, of course, to see that there is no 
escaping steam, as the crop is “gone up” very 
readily through a very small opening in the 
apparatus, and it would be difficult winnow¬ 
ing the air ufterward to got it bade again. 
General Remarks.— The crop of oil from 
the first year's planting, which is harvested in 
about three months, is the best both in qual¬ 
ity and quantity, and varies in about the same 
range as wheat—from 10 to 135 pounds to the 
aero. From 15 to 35 pounds is the range in 
St. Joseph County; less than 15 pounds would 
not pay to continue its cultivation. It, is not 
exhaustive to the soil. The ground is plowed 
up after the second crop, but grows large 
crops of corn which generally follows. Mint, 
formerly continued profitable on the same 
ground for several years; but cither from a 
change in the soil and climate, nr loss of vital¬ 
ity in the plant from loug cultivation, two 
years are now the extent of profitable cul¬ 
tivation on the. same ground. Dealers offered 
$3.35 per pound for this year's crop, which is 
a fairly remunerative price. Quo gentleman 
at Nottaway. in this county, has perfected and 
patented a process by which the oil is crystal¬ 
lized and converted into a dry product which 
We have hardly enough to pay for the ma¬ 
nure. We had to ‘throw in' our labor. Tur¬ 
nips were poor all round us. Well, better 
luck next year!” 
Try my way and T will guarantee a good 
crop every year. Mix good seed with three 
times its bulk of fine,dry sand. This prevents 
sowing too thickly. Use only one linger and 
the thumb in sowing the mixture. Just after 
the potatoes have been plowed or cultivated 
one way for the last working, sow the seed. 
Then plow the potatoes the other way and 
work or hill them up with lines. This covers 
the seed The secret of success in raising good 
turnips is simply to get fresh dirt in close con¬ 
tact with the seed as soon as possible after 
sowing. The potato vines afford just, enough 
Shade to protect the plants, and I find they 
succeed better than when sown on corn ground 
or alone. I have raised from 500 to 1,000 
bushels every year for a number of years and 
do not consider that they have cost me any¬ 
thing. Try this. oarnjer. 
Hillsdale, N. Y. 
Mammoth Clover generally yields much 
more than the common red. It is decidedly 
preferred for pasture and for fertilizing pur¬ 
poses. My experience with it on light soil 
would recommend it for all purposes, though 
this year on account of the early drought, it 
yielded no more than the common red. There 
are some objections to it. Being later, it has 
to be cut ubout harvest time. On rich, heavy 
soil It grows rather coarse and is difficult to 
cure. In rank spots it sometimes kills out. 
The seed must he grown on the first crop. I 
should like to hear more about it. 
Washington, D. C. a. a. crozier 
—x 
ft. V " 7 ' 
WONDERFUL PEACH, From Nature. Fig. 8. 
stepping but never getting up. The wheel 
works bellows which blow air into the fat 
man’s face. Various gases can be sent at him; 
oxygen or air impregnated with the scent of 
pine and cedar. This is all very nice, but it 
seems foolish to people who have to work for 
a living. Let this snme fat, man take an axe 
and come out to a lumber camp and chop pine 
through one winter. With plenty of work 
and a diet of baked beans and pork he would 
go home in the spring all right. a. k. 
Missaukee Co., Mich. 
CULTIVATION OF PEPPERMINT IN 
ST. JOSEPH CO., MICH. 
TniS industry was begun in the township of 
Florence, on Pigeon Prairie, as long ago as 
1834, and, like every success in any locality, 
has spread until almost every farmer in whole 
townships, raises more or less every year. At 
one time St. Joseph County rivaled Wayne 
County, N. Y., in the amount, of acreage uud 
production of the oil. No farmer makes a 
specialty of it; but nearly every farmer’s ro¬ 
tation includes mint, with the other crops of 
corn, wheat, clover, and in later years, pota¬ 
toes, as field crops. The acreage of mint 
varies, according to size of the farms, etc., 
from live to 40. 
Soil and Preparation'.— Thesoil is a sandy 
loam, on which crops of 25 to 35 bushels 
of wheat, and 50 to 75 bushels of corn are 
raised. It is easily worked, is free from stone 
or foul weeds, and is fertilized by the growth 
of clover, a clover soil being usually plowed 
for mint. This is thoroughly prepared by 
cultivation, and marked out. by a shovel-plow, 
or some similar tool, which will made nar¬ 
row furrows six inches or more wide, three 
feet apart. 
Planting, —Tf one has decided to put out 
mint, he must arrange to get the roots from 
some person who bus set a plantation the 
year before, ns only yearling roots are used 
to renew the fields, or to start out in the busi¬ 
ness. Any grower, who docs not wish to use 
what he has to increase his own acreage, will 
sell every alternate row of his yearling plat, 
as the remaining half will yield fully as much 
oil to the acre, on account of the facility for 
cultivation afforded by more room between 
the rows. The price for roots varies; accord¬ 
ing to quality and growth, from $15 to $00 
per acre; the average price is $25; 23 rows, 40 
rods long, are counted us nu acre. One acre 
of roots will plant from six to ten acres. The 
planter slings a sack, tied at the corners, and 
filled with roots, across his shoulders, with the 
mouth under his left, arm, aud drops the roots 
in the furrow, and draws the dirt over them 
with his foot and tramps it. down, lie aims to 
have two roots side by side in u continuous 
line from end to end of the furrow. If they 
are thrown into dumps and tangled bunches, 
the plants come up in that irregular way, and 
the work of hoeing and their growth are 
much retarded. 
Cultivation begins, as in case of any 
other hoed crop, as soon as the plants 
appear, aud is kept up until tin' growth 
gets so large as to prevent it. No weeds are 
allowed to get n foothold. Every grower 
emphasizes this as an essential requisite 
to success. Not only is the plant stunted aud 
the product loosened by the coni pet ition of 
weeds in the row, but the quality of the oil is 
much deteriorated by the transfusion of the 
juices of other plants m the process of dis¬ 
tillation, and the price is lowered in the ratio 
of the impurities present in the sample. 
CUTTING. —When the plant arrives at the 
blossoming period it ts watched with a critical 
eye by the grower, as much depends ujhju 
cutting just at the right time to trap the oil 
when it is most abundant. If the season has 
been dry and the plant begins to shed its 
leaves at the very beginning of blossoming, 
the careful cultivator will cut at once, as the 
oil is supposed to exist almost entirely in, or 
on the leaves. But if the plant continues to 
hold its color and its leaves, he will await the 
full bloom before cutting. Should a heavy 
rain comeat, this critical time, it. washes t lie 
oil out of. or off the plant and a few days 
must, be allowed for it to recuperate, and for 
the restoration of its volatile product. Two 
or three bright days only are required for 
this purpose. For first crop, a scythe is used 
to cut the limit: but the second crop is usually 
cut with a mower. It is allowed to wilt, but 
not to become dry like hay, before hauling to 
the still. 
Distillation. —Those who cultivate only 
a few acres, arrange with the larger growers 
to “still” their crop; but those who have 10 to 
30 acres, and intend to continue the cultiva¬ 
tion of mint as a regular crop, have each a 
still of their own, as one is liable to severe losses 
can be exported without loss from evaporation 
or leakage. The exportation is largely on the 
increase, and this gentleman purchased over 
40,000 pounds from local growers last year 
which was converted into “ peppermiutato” 
and mostly exported. Owing to the Central¬ 
ization of the trade here, the grower gels a 
better price at home than could tie obtained 
by shipping it to New York or Philadelphia. 
So loug as a market can be found abroad for 
the surplus above home wants, the industry is 
likely to hold its own here in acreage, while it 
offers one more chance for a profit to the 
farmer who practices mixed husbandry. 
Paw Paw, Mich. a. c. g. 
NEW VARIETIES OK SWEET CORN. 
Two new varieties of sweet corn were re¬ 
ceived from the originators and were tested in 
the N. V. Experiment Station garden this 
season. The one from A. G. Tillinglmst, Pa¬ 
dilla, Washington Territory, labeled Dwarf 
Early Sweet, was plauted May 11, and was fit 
for use July .2 >, only 75 days from the date of 
planting. The ears were plump aud well filled 
with kernels of good size. They closely resem¬ 
ble the Early Minnesota; flavor very sweet 
aud excellent. The stalks were about four 
feet in bight each producing two or more 
eara which are borne low down ou the stalks. 
It appears to be desirable for very early table 
use. Hereford's Little Giant, from this sea¬ 
son’s experience with it, does not seem worthy 
of dissemination, as it proves to be utterly 
worthless. The ears were very small—mere 
nubbins—with no redeeming quality. The 
above varieties were grown in hills side by 
side, having every opportunity to develop 
their good qualities. I understand that neither 
variety was offered for sale last spring. 
Geneva, N, Y. h. m. b. 
THE ART OF SUCCESSFUL TURNIP RAISJNO. 
You say: “Our turnip crop was a failure. 
Pomci logical. 
THE WONDERFUL PEACH. 
At the Mt. Holly Fair, Oct. 1(5, 18SI5, Mr. 
Chas. B. Horner, of that place, exhibited 
liberal quantities of a large, handsome and 
delicious peach under the above name. Aside 
from its size, appearance and good quality, I 
was surprised at its keeping so well. The 
specimens were sampled quite freely every 
day, and the remainder ou Saturday, the last 
day of the fair, were still in good condition. 
The “Wonderful” is a rosy-cheeked, yellow¬ 
skinned and yellow-fit‘shed freestone peach, 
of large size and excellent quality. It is a 
chance seedling grown in the garden of Mrs. 
Margaret Fitzpatrick of Burling tOU, N. J., 
and this season bore as its second crop one 
bushel of fruit. A sectional view is shown at 
Fig. 8. If, ou further trials elsewhere it 
should maintain the good qualities thus far 
shown it "ill boa very remarkable accession 
to our list of very late peaches. I believe Mr. 
Horner is arranging to introduce it to the 
public in due time. E. williams. 
-- 
For Winter Fruit which must be ex¬ 
amined often but which abhors handling, sets 
of light, shallow boxes all of exactly the 
same size—about 30 inches across,—are very 
convenient and desirable. These can be 
filled from the tree aud left piled up in a cool 
place until frost obliges removal to the cellar, 
where they Pike little room and are easily 
lifted from the pile one by one for examina¬ 
tion. None of the fruit need be haudled until 
finally wanted. A similar plan is good and 
convenient for potato keeping. The winter 
season offers time for making such boxes, 
and others for’ marketing in ready gallons, 
peeks or half-bushels. G. \v. 
The Chestnut Illustration of Dec. 11.— 
Not wishing to mislead our horticultural 
friends, T have to say that the drawing of the 
chestnuts which i sent the Rural, which ap¬ 
peared in the issue Of December 11, is true to 
nature, but such great prolificacy is not the 
rule. Two to three in a burr are common; 
though there is occasionally only one. Six 
is the largest number that I have yet found in 
one burr, but its habit is to overbear rather 
than otherwise. h. m. engle. 
Marietta, Pa. 
-»■*♦ 
Plums. —Would it not be a help to the fruit¬ 
grower to have plums described in catalogues 
as “free,” when the pits separate ea<Bv from 
the fruit? Where plums grow abundamly, and 
there is no market, we are obliged to dry them 
in order to save them (for winter market). A 
plum whose pit is not free is hardly worth 
drying. a. l. r. 
Clay Co., Kansas. 
Minnewaska compart’d with other blackber¬ 
ries; praise for the Marlboro Raspberry; 
compared with the Cvth be rt; Early Harvest 
Blackberry; Early Cluster worthless; the 
Erie Blackberry. 
Some time ago I noticed in the Rural an 
editorial in regard to the new blackberries, 
which struck me at the time as being some¬ 
what unjust to the new Minnewaska. from the 
fact that it was stated that the Rural had no 
knowledge of its merits. At about, the same 
time I had written the Messrs. C'ayw’ood a 
private letter stating how one of their plants 
was succeeding on my place, which the Rural 
published. The plant was sent me with in¬ 
structions to give it no winter protection or 
other advantage over other varieties. From 
one year’s experience I cannot at all agree 
with Avhat the Rural says of it. If I recol¬ 
lect aright, it said that the variety will not fill 
any place not already filled by other varieties, 
naming the “Wilson Jr." aud Kittatinny. 
Now the fact is the Kittatiuuy does not suc¬ 
ceed at all in this region, the ornuge rust gen¬ 
erally destroying an entire plantation before 
it is three years old. Besides, I never saw 
a one-year-old Kitta tinny bearing oue-third 
as much fruit as did this yearling Miunewas- 
ka. As for the Wilson Jr., I have 100 plants 
from the originator, “the best plants 1 ever 
bought,” growing within 20 feet of the Miune- 
waska,of the same age and receiving the same 
treatment, except that the Wilson Jr. was 
laid down last winter aud protected; still the 
best plant among them did not produce more 
than one-third the fruit the Minnewaska yield¬ 
ed, ami the crop was not so early by three 
or four days, and, further, they showed the 
double blossom while every berry ou the Min- 
newaska was perfect and larger than either 
Kittatinny or Wilson Jr. Now these are 
facts which can be substantiated by at least a 
dozen of our beat fruit growers who have 
watched the'test carefully, and all pronounce 
the Minnewaska the best new blackberry of¬ 
fered. If it continues for a few years as good 
as at the start, I think the Rural will recall 
its verdict. 
I must say a word in favor of the Marlboro 
Raspberry which I have seen roundly abused 
in t he Rural lately. Last year I bought and 
set 8,5011 plants which were shipped more than 
1,000 miles, and were 13 days on the road, so 
they " ere not in good condition to give the best 
results; still they made a fair growth and the 
past season produced the largest berries aud 
the heaviest crop I ever saw on a one-year- 
old patch on a like amount of wood, and they 
were sold at Chicago for $2.25 to $2.75 per 12- 
quart case, while choice Cuthberts and 
Brandy wines were sold for only $1.00 to $1.50 
per ease. Last spring I had to fill in about 
1,000 plants iu the same patch. The plants 
I set then have made a remarkable growth, 
ranging from four to seven feet in bight, and the 
canes are the must robust I ever saw. When 
plants are shipped long distances their vitality 
is impaired and often they never recover, 
but. 1 presume when Marlboro plantations are 
set from plants raised near home and carefully 
transplanted there will be no complaint of 
weak growth if on suitable soil. 1 remember 
very well when the Cuthbert was first set iu 
this region the plants made a very weak 
growth, and we did not learn their value until 
we set the second plantations; now they grow 
so rankly that we almost need step-ladders to 
pick the berries. In conclusion, I would say 
that the Marlboro is just as early as the Han- 
sell ou my place, and far superior in every 
other respect. 
In regard to the value of the Early Harvest 
Blackberry, the Rural’s experience corre¬ 
sponds exactly with mine. As an early berry 
