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~ a3 >y
THE

PEPPERWINT INDUSTRY

A

W. OC.

THESIS

by

STEBBINS.

August, 1895.
THESIS

 
 

 

The peppermint industry is one concerning which little
1s known outside of the somewhat limited regions in which it
ls grown. In this country it was first cultivated in Massa-
chusetts; later, it was quite extensively grown in Wayne
County, New York. From there it was taken to Ohio and south-
ern Micnigan, and ror many years St Josevh County, Michigan,

/
‘produced the greater part of the veprermint oil of the world.

From there it has been taken to a numer of otter localities
in this and neighboring states. -

Until quite recent years the methods of growing and dis-
tilling, together with lack of Knowledge of the crop, limited
the suvply so much that large profits were secured vy those
who produced the oil, as well as by those who speculated in
it. This has been slowly changing as the cultivation nas
extended until at present the price corresponds more nearly
with the cost of production.

The plant belongs to the family Ladiatao, a@ quite ex-
tensive one containins a number of very common plants and
weeds. It is a square stemmed herb living from ycar to year

by means of its roots and underground stems. The leaves are

placed opposite; the flovers are in small clusters placed

LOS8T 2
 

rather loosely upon a spike. The parts are arranged in se-
ries of four, whitish to purple in color.

The plants grow pest in a rich moist soii, containing
large amounts of vesetable matter. <A number of species of
the mint family are cultivated for the oil which they pro-
duce. Among them are the horse mint; Mentha sylvestris,
spearmint, Mentha viridis; but by far the most important one
is the pepprermint, Mentha perverita. When well cultivated,
1t gives a very prancning stem from three to five feet in
length, abundantly supplied with lcaves. When not cultivated,
it grows uv in a long straight stem with fewer lcaves. The
leaf¢ is the part which contains most of the oil, which is
held in little glands or sacs, very few of which are found
upon the stems. The most favorable ground for the growth ofr
the crop has been found to be swamp land which abounds in
many parts of the State. Much of this land had for many
years been considered worthless for anything excerting pas-
ture. What is known as the "Big Marsh" of Florence township
in St Joseph County was provpably the first one ever used for
this purpose to any extent. The muck upon this marsh varics
from one to ten or twelve feet in depth, overlying a subsoil
of sandy or clayey hardpan, or quicksand. It was too wet for

cultivation, peing impassisle to horses, and in some parts
3.

searcely safe for a man on foot, nothing out grass and wil-
lows srowing unon it. This land has bcen drained and is now
the best peppermint land in that scction. Occasional large
open ditches have becn cut through it into which the smaller
tile drains empty. These small drains arc placed from eight
to twelve rods apart, and consist mainly of four inch tilc.

The crop is onc which requires abundant moisturc, con-
sequently this ground is weli fitted for the purnrose. If it is
grown upon up_land, low level ground is the pest. The prern-
aration of soil for a mint crop must be very careful aiid thor-
ough. Above all, the ground must be free from weeds, other-
wise the quality of the crop is :tucnh damaged and the exccnse
of prod.icing is much increased. The ground must be well
worked and well prenared before the time for planting the
mint crop arrives. The preceding crops should be well tended
so that the ground may be free from weed seed.

The ploving should pe done in the fall if vossible, so
that the soil may have a chance to become somewhat settled.
The ground is plowed from seven to ten inches deep, all the
Clods are then thoroughly cut to pieces cy a dise harrow.

The crop is started from roots taken from fields which
have already produced ore crop. The roots or underground

stems aro plowed up, shaken free from soil, taken to the
field in which they are to be planted, piled up, and covered
with earth until used. Care must be taken to keen the roots
from being dried py contact with the wind or sun, since a
little carelessness in this matter may ruin the crop. An acre
of good mint will furnish roots enough to plant fron eight to
ten acres. of the ney crop.

Tne time of pianting 1s during tne early part of April,
or as early in the svring as the ground can ce worked. The
ground is marked by furrows from four to six inches deep and
from three to three and one half feet apart. The mode of
planting is peculiar; the roots are carried in a sack under
the arm of the planter, suspended by a band over the snoulder.
The roots are separated and placed in tho furrow, as nearly
as may be with two parallel strands of roots. The planter
walks astride the furrow and kicks the earth in on each side
with his feet, lcaving it pressed firmly over the roots. The
work is very tiresome and a good hand will not plant more
than an aere a day. Tedious as is the process of planting,
the care of the crop afier it comes up is still more so. The
young mint is slow in starting and slow in growing, and unless
care is taken weeds will damage the crop veyond repair. It
is now that the importance of having clcan soil is realized,

for the weeds must be kept down, not only to allow the mint
 

to make its best growth, but because most weeds have a flavor
of their own which damages the oil unless they are rcomoved
before distilling. Deep cultivation cannot be resorted to be-
cause of the soil veing filied with the roots of the plants,
&lso, owing to the ease With whicn the plants are covered up.
Frequent shallow cultivation with fine-tooth cultivators is
resorted to. The crop must also be hoed from two to five
times, according to the scason and the soil. This is a very
tedious job, for it takes a man from two to five days to hoe
an acre of the crop.

When the crop has become well started, if the season is
a favorable one, it grows very rapidly and soon the ground is
entircly hidden. During the first year the stems are confined
to the row, thoug:. they bend outward and fill the space bve-
tween the rows. After the first year the whole of the ground
is occupicd py the crop. After the first year the crop re-
quires very little care, with the exception of removing the
weeds whicn mould damage the oil. On upland the crop is
usually allowed to stand two years, while upon muck, or marsh
land, it is allowed to stand three years before plowing up.
On upland the first crop is usually vest, whilo on marsh land
the second crop gives the largest vield. The time of harvest-

ing varics somewhat with the season, out it is during the
last part of July and the first part of August. The second
and third crops are cut first. In these crops the stems stand
erect aud they map be cut with mowers, but with the first crop
the stems bend so much that it is usually cut with scythes.
Great care must be used in curing the crop. It is cut just

as it reaches full bloom, or slightly beforc. It is allowed
to lic until it is somcwhat wilted, just enough to make the
stems limber and flexible. It must not be allowed to become
so dry trat the loaves oreak in handling, for a good share of
the crop would then be lost. When it is properly cured it
must be aistillea immediately. It cannot be left in piles
for more than a very few hours without heating, which allows
the oil to escape, leaving only the blackened stems.

The process of distillation is a very simplc one. A
small steam plant is necessary, as the process requires a
steam pressure of from five to thirty pounds. Large wooden
steam-tight tubs or vats are used, anout six feet deep, and
from six to cight feet in diameter. Into these the mint i8
tramped tigntly and the steam-tight lids closed. The steam
is turned on at the pottom, passing through the mint it es-
capes by a pive at the top, carrying with it the oil which is
quite volatile. This stcam is lead through a condenser and

the oil and vator is caught in a receiver. The oil being the
lightcr of the two, rises and is divved from the top, and
placed in large tin cans holding about twenty pounds. The
process of distillation lasts from thirty minutes to an hour,
depending upon the condition of the mint. The riper and the
dryer, the quicker it is distilled. These conditions, how-
ever, arc not conducive to the production of the largest
amount of oil.

Well distilled oil should be perfectly colorless. This
depends somewhat upon the freedom from weeds and the condi-
tion of the distillery. To make the best oil, the still
should not be allowed to get cold during the distilling sea-
son, for some parts of it are liablo to rust, and a very
little rust wili discalor a large amount of oil.

The yield of oil per acre varies greatly with the varying
conditions. On upland a@ sood crop is from ten to twenty
pounds ver acre for the first crop, with slightly less for the
secona crop. Upon marsh land tne yileid is muck: gteater, from
twonty to forty pounds, the second crop giving the largest
yield, and the third crop the smallest.

Good judgment is necessary in cutting and caring for the
crop, as the time of cutting may make a great difference in
the yleid. The most favorable time scems to be after a few

hot dry days. A heavy rain will diminish the yield. The
oll, being volatiie, cscaves easily and seems to be washed
out py the rain. The cost of distiliing is from fifteen to
twenty cents per pound. The refusc straw is used mostly as
&@ fertilizer. Stock will eat it in very limite@ quantities,
if it is placed where they can have frce access to it, some-
what in the proportion in which ve use pennrer or salt. It
cannot form the basis of a food ration. It makes an excellent
fertilizer, excepting that it is a little coarse. Analysis
has shown that it is ricn in potash, phosphoric acid and ni-
trogen. This accounts for the fact that the crop is hard
upon land. It takes an immense amount of material from the
soil, which must be replaced by fertilizing material, or the
soil soon pecomes exhausted. A first class crop of rrain
cannot be expected foliowing a mint crop, unless the ground
is very heaviiy manured. Stablc manure is the most common
fertilizer used. It must be something that is thoroughly
decayed ot that will decay quickly,. otherwise it wiil inter-
fere seriously with the cultivation of the crop. The common
rea clover is coming into use somewhat for this purpose. The
second crop, on upland especially, is much penefitted by a
top-dressing of fine manure.

The mint farmer must take good care of his land, or he

is apt to find an exhaustcd farm upon his hands which will
9.

neither produce mint nor any other crop. The mich soils upon
which most of the mint is grown are very fertile, oeing very
ricn in phosphoric acid and nitrogen, but even they finally
become exhausted.

Several variegies of the plant are cultivated. What is
knoyn as the common mint has been most cultivated, but during
the past few years a varicty Known as the English mint has
pecn much cultivated. It is comins into use slowly on account
of the scarcity of roots and the exnense of procuring them.
It gives a mucn greater yield than the common mint, which on
muck land gives from twenty to forty pounds per acrc, while
the English mint gives from forty to sixty pounds pcr acre.
There arc, however, some oojections to this variety. It does
not seem to give a good second crop, though it has not peen
tested thorouvhly enough to make this a certain objection.
Many claim that the oil is not of so good a quality as that
of tie common mint, and puyers have discriminated against it,
but it is not probable that this ovicction wiil hold.

The price of oil varies much with the season, though it
is largcly controlled by speculators. Not many years ago
three and even four dollars yer paund vas a common price, but
now the price ranges from one one dollar and twenty-five
cents to two dollars ver pound. At first thought, it would

seem that even this price should give an enormous profit, and
1O.

indecd it does when good crors are procured from muck land
which nas been well fitted, so as not to require too great an
expenditure for labor. The crop requires an enomnous amount
of care as compared with any other farm crop. The wages paid
vary from seventy-five cents to one dollar and twenty-five
cents per my, and a moderatoly large crop is required to pay
the exvonses. Since mint has peen grown upon muck land and
the price has declincd, it has been found unprofitable to
grow it on upland, unless it can be grown under the most
favorable conditions. The time of enormous profits on the
cultivation of the crop is past, but careful cultivation of
the crop still yields a petter return than most common farm

crops.
 
 

TT

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