Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/633

AUNT common names of the other species have a descriptive prefix. Spearmint, common mint, garden mint, or usually simply mint, is a native of Kurope, though found about moist ground Spearmint (Monthu vh-ldts). and waste plsiccs in the United States, having strayed from gardens and fields whore it has been cultivated. It is liandsome, cleanly, of a deep green color, with :iu erect stem I to 2 ft. high, furuislied with oblong lanceolate, nearly sessile, acutely serrate leaves, and ending in slender, tapering spikes of pale purple llowers. The fresh leaves, chopped lino and mixed with sugar and inegar, form the mint sauce much oaten with lamh, and hruised they arc used for compounding; various he craves, es|)ecially mint julep. An oil, upon which the properties of the plant depend, is separated hy distilla- tion in the same manner as described for pep- permint; from this is prepared an essence, by dissolving it in alcohol, and a water, by mix- ture with that liquid, hot h of which are used to cover the taste of other medicines. Pepper- mint (M. piperitd) is more sparingly natural- ized than the preceding, from which it dill'ers in its more interrupted spikes and petioled leaves ; it has a more pungent and campborous taste and similar stimulating properties. The plant is lari'vlv cultivated for the production of the oil of peppermint, a culture that was at one time exclusively confined, in this country, to Massachusetts, the western part of Now York, and some counties in Ohio, but was later taken up by the farmers in southwestern Michigan, where some years ago the breadth of land devoted to this crop was bet ween 2,000 and tt,000 acres. At one time St. Joseph's county, Mich., was tin- headquarters for oil of peppermint, hut recently the makers in ayne county, N. Y., have by attention to the quality of the product established a reputation which has led to increased production, and this county now produces more in value if not in quantity i han any other district. Those engaged in the business have mot with variable success, as the oil has been the subject of the operations of speculators; atone lime the li.-le production of the country as controlled hy a Miigle firm, which in order to diminish the supply eon traded with many lar the cultivation for li quires a warm, rich in furrows IT> to '..' I in of old plants, are pla the plants are kept fr cover the soil; the August and continues crop of the field is t third being much les o growers to discontnue ears. Peppermint re oil; the land is laid oil' apart, and sets, or parts ted thickly in the ros; e from weeds until they harvest begins early in until October; I lie first est, the second and the fourth ear the field is ploughed, and the crop springs up from the broken roots; the yield of the Huh year is about equal to that of the second, and after this the land is diverted toother OHM The first year's crop is best, not only because the plants are young and vigorous, but the mint is then free from a eed hich is apt to spring up later, and also yields a volatile oil, which is bitter and pungent, and deteriorates the product; this weed, called mare's tail, lire weed, and by seeral other names, is , /< <-/i(/iit<;i hifi-Hfi/oliun, a, composite somewhat resem- bling lettuce in appearance. The mint is cut with a cradle having two fingers, and raked into cocks, here it remains 12 hours to ill. before- it- is distilled. The still is a oodeii vat of heavy slaves hooped ilh iron, -I i ft. deep and (i ft. in diameter; (he ilted mint is packed into this vat by treading it close with the feet until the vat is full, when the lid is fastened down steam-tight ; a pipe enters the lower part of the vat to coney steam from a boiler, and another from the lop of the at connects with a orm, as in an ordinary still. Tim steam being let on, the oil from Ihe mint, is olat ili/ed, and its vapor, mixed with steam, is condensed in the worm; the mixed oil and water jiro collected in a receiver, when they separate by t heir dill'erenee in spccilic gravity. The oil is packed in tin cans holding 2011)8. each, and a largo share of the product ifl ex- ported. The chief consumption of the oil is for flavoring confectionery, and it nlso enters into the preparation of essences, cordials, and the like. Ksseneo of peppermint, a popular carminative, is a solution of (he oil in alcohol, of a -ireiiglh proportioned to the price. Pep- permint water is prepared like other similar waters by first rubbing up the oil with carbon ate of magnesia, slowly addin;'.; water, and fil- tering, a lluid dram of the oil to a pint of water; the use of the magnesia is to finely divide tin- oil and expose a large surface to the water, in which it is slightly soluble; any other inert, powder will answer as well. Corn mint (M. arven&iii), which has the odor of decay ing- cheese, the round-leaved mint (M. rotund ij'o fid), tfl water mint (M. a<imitica and the whorled mint (M. mtfirn), are other Kiiropean species naturalized in some localities, but most ly rare. Our only native species, the wild mint