THE  PEPPERMINT  PLANTATIONS  OF  MICHIGAN. 
33 
THE  PEPPERMINT  PLANTATIONS  OF  MICHIGAN. 
By  Frederick  Stearns,  of  Detroit. 
You  are  all  aware  how  conspicuous  a  place  is  occupied  in 
our  list  of  the  Materia  Medica  by  the  essential  oils,  and  doubt- 
less that,  of  those  largely  produced  in  the  United  States,  the 
oil  of  the  Mentha  Piperita  is  the  most  important,  both  in  its 
relation  to  Medicine  and  to  Commerce ;  and  I  further  venture 
to  say  that,  among  those  essential  oils,  there  is  no  one  of  them 
concerning  which  so  little  is  generally  known  of  its  history,  cul- 
ture, and  production,  as  of  this  of  which  my  paper  treats. 
The  Association  having  invited  reports  from  its  members 
upon  subjects  of  similar  character,  I  trust  that  the  following 
remarks,  which  relate  more  particularly  to  the  introduction  of 
the  culture  of  peppermint  into  Michigan,  the  methods  there 
employed  for  growing  the  plant,  and  the  processes  of  distilling 
its  oil,  may  prove  of  interest  and  value. 
For  the  last  ten  years,  the  largest  proportion  of  the  oil  of 
peppermint  produced  in  the  world,  has  been  sent  from  one 
county  (St.  Joseph)  in  the  south-western  part  of  Michigan. 
The  plant  was  cultivated  for  its  oil  in  New  York  and  in  Ohio 
for  many  years  previous  to  its  first  introduction  into  this  State, 
but,  from  want  of  sufficient  and  authentic  data,  I  am  unable  to 
give  you  any  account  of  its  early  cultivation  in  those  States, 
and  will  therefore  confine  my  remarks,  principally,  to  that  por- 
tion of  its  history  and  culture  which  relates  to  the  State  in 
which  I  reside. 
It  was  first  introduced  into  St.  Joseph  County  in  1835,  by 
Calvin  Sawyer,  who  brought  the  roots  from  Ohio,  and  made 
the  first  plantation  on  Pigeon  Prairie,  in  the  township  of  White 
Pigeon.  In  the  spring  of  1836,  two  farmers,  named  White  and 
Earl,  procuring  roots  from  Calvin  Sawyer,  made  plantations 
on  the  same  prairie,  and  in  the  same  township.  In  1837,  the 
number  of  plantations  was  increased  by  others ;  and  in  1838, 
Marshal  Craw  and  Lewis  Ranney  commenced  its  culture  on 
burr  oak  soil,  in  Florence  township  of  the  same  county.  In 
the  soil  of  these  burr  oak  openings,  as  they  are  termed  (being 
rich,  loamy,  and  gently  undulating,  covered  here  and  there 
with  a  scant  growth  of  the  burr,  or  scrub  oak),  the  Mint  was 
