THE  PEPPERMINT  PLANTATIONS  OF  MICHIGAN.  39 
It  is  usually  of  a  pale  yellow  color,  sometimes  almost  white, 
or  of  a  slight  greenish  tint;  as  it  grows  old  it  becomes  more  or 
less  oxidized,  and  assumes  a  reddish  color. 
The  precautions  necessary  to  produce  a  superior  product, 
both  as  to  quantity  and  quality,  are — 
1st.  To  distill,  from  new  or  young  Mint,  the  first  crop  of  rich 
and  well  cultivated  land. 
2d.  Tight  and  well  constructed  apparatus. 
3d.  Cutting,  wilting,  and  distilling  the  plant  in  still  dry 
weather,  as  much  oil  may  escape,  on  account  of  its  great  vola- 
tility, before  it  reaches  the  still,  in  windy  weather,  and  before 
it  can  be  wilted  in  damp,  cloudy,  or  rainy  weather.  The  pro- 
cess of  distilling  is  facilitated  much  by  wilting  the  herb,  as  the 
bulk  being  thereby  reduced  from  one-third  to  one-half,  the 
greater  quantity  can  be  compressed  into  the  same  capacity  of 
the  vessel  used  in  the  process  of  distillation. 
4th.  Good  dry  and  well-preserved  fuel  is  necessary,  which, 
from  its  great  combustibility,  will  generate  steam  the  most  ra- 
pidly. 
The  apparatus  used  in  distilling  the  oil  is — 
1st.  A  boiler  with  a  flat  bottom  of  boiler  iron,  and  a  circular 
top  of  sheet  iron.  The  boiler  is  about  nine  feet  in  length,  and 
thirty  inches  in  diameter,  with  three  flues  six  inches  each  in  di- 
ameter. The  boiler  is  set  upon  a  brick  arch,  which  receives  the 
fuel. 
2d.  A  well  and  hand-pump  to  supply  the  boiler  and  other  ap- 
paratus hereinafter  described. 
3d.  A  round  tub,  made  of  pine  or  whitewood  staves,  hooped 
with  iron  bands  ;  the  staves  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches 
thick,  the  tub  four  feet  six  inches  deep,  and  six  feet  in  diameter. 
This  tub  is  set  up  from  the  ground  from  three  to  six  inches,  on 
bricks  or  wooden  blocks ;  one-half  or  one-third  of  the  top,  or 
head,  is  constructed  with  the  tub — that  is,  it  is  set  in  a  groove 
in  the  staves  like  a  barrel  head,  leaving  an  aperture  of  half  or 
two-thirds  of  the  circumference  of  the  top.  To  this  aperture  is 
fitted  a  movable  lid,  which  shuts  down  tightly,  and  can  be,  when 
shut  down,  made  steam-tight  by  means  of  oakum  stuffing. 
4th.  A  cooler ;  being  a  large  tub,  set  two  feet  from  the 
ground,  filled  with  water,  and  containing  a  worm  of  tinned- 
