67o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October 1 
enough to hold it in place. A three-inch pipe leads 
from the boiler into the tank, and through this the 
steam is turned on. 
How the Oil Is Extracted. —The steam extracts 
the oil, and the steam and oil together are carried into 
the condenser, which consists of three six-inch pipes 
10 feet long. A trough is suspended over the con¬ 
denser, and is kept filled to the brim with cold water. 
This supplies a smaller trough below, which is per¬ 
forated. Through the holes, which are about four 
inches apart, the cold water drips constantly on the 
pipes through which the steam and oil are passing. 
The oil and water, for such the steam, after having 
passed through the condenser, has become, then pass 
through the worm, nearly 100 feet of two and three- 
inch tin pipe on which cold water is constantly drip¬ 
ping from a third trough suspended above it, which is 
supplied by the first trough. The oil and water hav¬ 
ing passed through the worm, are nearly cool when 
they reach the receiver. This is in shape like an or¬ 
dinary watering-pot without the sprinkling attach¬ 
ment. As the oil and water enter the receiver, they 
pass through a finely-meshed strainer which removes 
any little particles of dirt which may have come 
through the pipes from the tank. 
The separation of the oil and water is the simplest 
part of the whole process. The water, as it pours 
into the receiver, sinks. The oil remains on top and 
is dipped off as fast as it accumulates. Getting rid 
of the water is an equally simple matter. It enters 
the inlet of the spout near the bottom of the receiver, 
and is forced by the weight of the oil out through 
the spout into a V-shaped trough which carries it 
away. 
It does not take long for the oil to be extracted 
from the mint, but in the meantime the 
other tank has been filled with mint. A 
simple device turns the steam into the 
newly-filled tank, and the oil is ex¬ 
tracted in this tank as it was in the other. 
The Refuse and the Oil. —Fitting 
nicely into Ihe bottom of the tank is an 
iron rim with crossbars. Rods run up to 
the top of the tank, and after the lid has 
been removed from the tank in which the 
mint has already been treated, a crane is 
swung around, and a rope running 
through a pulley is attached to these two 
rods. With the windlass on the crane, 
the tightly-packed mint is easily lifted 
from the tank and transferred to a wait¬ 
ing wagon. It is drawn out on to the 
field to dry, and makes an excellent feed 
much relished by all kinds of stock. 
The oil, as fast as dipped from the re¬ 
ceiver, is placed in carefully-made tin 
cans which hold about 20 pounds. These 
are stored away until the peppermint 
buyer con es on his annual visit. The oil 
occupies very little space in comparison 
with its value, and it is not an unusual 
thing for a peppermint farmer to take 
his entire season’s crop to the depot in a single load. 
The quality of the oil is determined by the odor. It 
is an agreeable one, scarcely noticeable to those who 
have been accustomed to employment about a still. 
The pure oil is almost colorless. It is very penetrating, 
and the tin cans in which it is shipped must be con¬ 
structed in the best possible manner to prevent leak¬ 
age. It will leak from a tin can which holds kerosene 
and other oils perfectly. The oil has a powerful aro¬ 
matic taste, and is much esteemed among those who 
raise peppermint, for curing headache. A little of 
the pure oil will almost always cause a headache to 
vanish in a few minutes if rubbed on the forehead, 
and it is said also to cure sunstroke. A popular and 
possibly well-grounded belief in peppermint neighbor¬ 
hoods is that employment about a peppermint still 
will cure one of nervousness. dougi.as malloch. 
Michigan. 
II. N.-Y.—In Fig. 307 on our first page, the upper 
picture shows a field of growing mint—no grower 
spends time to call it by its full name. At the left is 
the picture of a still. The building isn’t much, a good 
roof being the main requirement. The picture at the 
right shows a part of the interior of the still, the 
boiler and a part of the condenser. The lower pic¬ 
ture shows a couple of cans of the finished product. 
The production of peppermint is not nearly so profit¬ 
able as it was 25 or 30 years ago. It is an expensive 
crop to plant, cultivate and handle, and much of the 
work is heavy, dirty and disagreeable. Only on land 
well adapted to it, is it likely to be even moderately 
remunerative. The oil sells for much lower prices 
than formerly ; at present, the wholesale price in this 
city is from 80 cents to $1.25 per pound. The most 
money was made by the first growers ; the high prices 
they received stimulated others to undertake its cul¬ 
ture, roots for planting sold for high prices, and large 
areas were planted. This resulted in a large supply, 
lower prices and much loss and disappointment. 
ft HAT THEY SAY. 
Two Southern Plants. —B. Buckman, on page 611, 
describes two of our common southern plants. The 
first mentioned, the May apple or “ Maypop,” more 
euphoniously known as the Passion-flower, is a com¬ 
mon flower here, both cultivated and wild, I think. 
The ot^er, Hibiscus Subdariffaor Roselle is, probably, 
none other than our Jamaica sorrel. I don’t think it 
will fruit where Mr. Buckman lives, as the frost cuts 
it off here before it is done fruiting. With us, it fruits 
in November and December. I set out a half dozen 
plants which a friend gave me, about June 1. They 
are now about four feet high, and look extremely 
thrifty, although they were set on poor, sandy soil. 
Perhaps, if started in April in a hotbed and trans¬ 
planted in May, Mr. Buckman might get a few fruits 
in October. The sorrel makes a delicious sauce, the 
rival of the cranberry in color and flavor. The plants 
grow till killed by frost, reaching a height of 15 feet 
on poor soil. Probably, if not killed by frost, they 
would continue to grow and fruit the second year. 
Midland, Fla. e. b. s. 
Keep the Boys on the Farm. —Of course, this is an 
old subject, but as I have a brand-new plan, perhaps it 
will be safe to broach the subject once more. The 
bicycle has been weighed in the balance and found 
wanting; in fact, it keeps the boy off the farm more 
than on. My plan is to furnish the boy with a quad- 
ricycle, see Fig. 308. It takes the name quadri be¬ 
cause it has four supports or rests, and cycle because, 
when one wishes it to go forward, it is almost sure to 
“ cycle ” round and round. Take notice that this 
machine has the genuine “ ram’s-horu ” handles. Ob¬ 
serve the expression of the boy’s face. You couldn't 
drag him off the farm with a team of Government 
mules. With this cycle and dog, what more could a 
I’easonable boy want ? John u. peklle. 
Ohio. 
Payment for Country Roads. —The United States 
Department of Agriculture has issued a bulletin from 
the Road Department which has an argument in favor 
of State taxation for road building. This pamphlet 
deals chiefly with matters as they are found in Min¬ 
nesota. The picture given at Fig. 309 shows in a strik¬ 
ing way how farmers are burdened in an effort to im¬ 
prove the country roads: 1 represents the 
long 
Food for Pullets. — I agree with Prof. Wheeler, 
on page 607, that it is important to feed young pullets 
a well-balanced ration. A ratio of 1 to 4 should be 
profitable ; the difficulty is in getting the right ratio 
so that the fowls will eat the requisite amount of food 
to produce eggs in abundance. For instance, Alfalfa 
has a ratio of about 1 to 4, but nobody would think of 
feeding it alone for eggs. The hen could not, prob¬ 
ably, eat enough of it in a month to make an egg. 
The food must be more concentrated. For instance, 
if you wish an egg a day from your pullet, that pul¬ 
let would have to eat enough egg material each day 
to produce the egg. prof. james dryden. 
Utah Experiment Station. 
R. N.-Y.—We surely have hens that will manufac¬ 
ture eggs on a diet of pasture grass and a few bugs. 
The Monarch Plum. —On September 13, Mr. S. I). 
Willard, of Geneva, sent us a small basket of Monarch 
plums. They were not fully ripe, so that we could 
not get the fairest test as to their quality. Most of 
them were made into preserves, and we shall be able 
to test their value for that purpose later. Mr. Willard 
says that he imported this variety from Great Britain 
a few years ago. It is a perfect freestone, so that 
when thoroughly mature, the flesh will cleave as 
readily from the pit as would a prune. The fact of 
its being a late plum will make the Monarch valuable, 
and from the samples received, we would consider it 
an acquisition to the list of valuable plums for 
orchard purposes. Fig. 310 shows a fair sample of the 
Monarch. 
Prohibition in Canada.— The farmers of Canada 
will vote for prohibition because they love their coun¬ 
try, and desire to see it taking its place in the front 
rank of nations, and the suppression of the liquor 
traffic will do more in that line than 
anything else. If we have prohibition, 
Canada will be pointed out as a good 
place to live in, people of other lands will 
look this way, and as this country is at¬ 
tracting a good deal of attention at pres¬ 
ent, by its rich agricultural and mineral 
lands hitherto practically unknown, it is 
expected that immigration will set this 
way more than ever before, our wild 
lands will be taken up, mines will be 
developed, population increased to an 
extent that will lighten the cost per 
head for government expenses, and busi¬ 
ness will receive such an impetus as it has 
Dot known for a good while. . 1 . R. 
Kent County, Ontario. 
A Cement Floor. —Several inquirers 
ask how to make a cement floor for a hog- 
house. This question was fully answered 
on page 252. Such cement is made of six 
parts of gravel or broken stone, three 
parts of sand and one part of Portland 
cement. This is for the bottom. The 
gravel and sand should be free from 
dust. When the materials are accurately 
measured on the mixing floor, they 
should be carefully shoveled over four times. Then 
sprinkle on sufficient water to wet the mass tkor- 
( ughly. Then shovel it over again four times. 
When thoroughly mixed, it should be wet only 
enougli to ho’d its shape when pressed in the hand. 
Shovel this on the floor and spread as desired. Then 
tamp it down solid until the water comes to the top. 
For the top layer, use one part of cement to two 
parts of sand. This sand should be quite coarse and 
must be free from loam or soil. Mix carefully while 
dry, and then dampen so that it will spread nicely 
and evenly with a trowel. The topping should be 
done while the lower layer is still damp or fresh. 
One-lialf inch is thick enough for the top. 
ROAD TAX FOR COUNTRY AND CITY. Fig 
stretches of country road, and 2 the value of taxable 
country property ; 3 represent- the streets within city 
limits, and 4 the large amount of city wealth taxable 
to improve the city streets. Thus it is easily seen that 
the burden of taxation to improve city streets is light 
when compared with that necessary to make equally 
good roads in the country. If farmers, with their 
small amount of taxable property, are to pay entirely 
for the improvement of their home roads, it is evident 
that they have an almost impossible task. The city 
is made up at the expense of the country. A great 
proportion of the vast wealth of city and tow'n must 
be hauled in its crude form over the country road to 
the railroad or waterway. Thus it is that the city 
depends for its business Ufion the country, and it is 
no more than fair that the town should help pay for 
improving the country roads. 
POSTSCRIPTS. 
The Oregon Everbearing blackberry at the Rural 
Grounds proved of little value. It was ornamental 
rather than useful. Efforts are now being made to 
boom it. 
An officer of the United States Department of Agri¬ 
culture is reported to have said recently that he would 
like to know the names of some breeders of hydraulic 
rams, and would like to buy a few to cross on his 
South Down sheep. 
Pure cream of tartar is obtained from wine barrels. 
It is really the sediment or dregs which form on such 
barrels on standing for a considerable time. In one 
California factory, 90 tons of cream of tartar were 
produced. This gives an idea of the immense quantity 
of wine handled in that factory. 
As to manuring the ground for an onion crop, it 
would, probably, be safe to haul manure on to fairly 
level ground at any time after the ground freezes. 
Onions, however, require fine and well-rotted manure, 
and our advice would be to compost the manure and 
work it over once or twice through the Winter so as to 
get it thoroughly fine before applying in the Spring. 
