Peppermint - culture i s practiced in Michigan on black muck land, obtained by the draining of swamps and marshes, after it has been thoroughly subdued by previous cropping. A f ter fall-plowing, the land to be used for peppermint is har rowed in the early spring and provided with furrows about three feet apart, into which the slender roots are thrown so as to make an un broken row of plants. The soil is drawn over the roots and made firm by treading. The young plants are care fully hoed during the first season to remove weeds which injure the crop, partly by contaminating the oil. By fall the peppermint runners so nearly cover the ground as to interfere with further use of the hoe. Horse cultivation may be made use of until fall, when the runners will practically cover the ground.
In August or early September, when in full bloom, the herb is mowed usually with a scythe, dried until only enough moisture remains to pre vent the falling of the leaves, and hauled to the distillery. The distilling apparatus consists essen tially of a boiler from which live steam is obtained ; large circular wooden vats connected with the boiler, into which the herb is thrown for steam treatment ; a condenser, consisting of a tight tube surrounded by cold water, through which the va pors from the wooden vats are conducted and cooled ; and a receiver into which the condensed water and oil flow from the condenser. [See article on 07-bearing Plants.] The oil is separated from the water and stored in tin or glass containers, and the exhausted "hay" is sold for fodder for stock or allowed to rot for fertilizer purposes.
Peppermint oil, when frozen, separates into two parts,—a crystalline solid, menthol, and a clear oily residue having the taste and odor of peppermint. Menthol is present in an especially large proportion in Japanese oil. It is used in solution in combina tion with other remedial agents in sprays and other forms of medication, and, being a local antes thet:c and disinfectant, is molded into the form of pencils or cones or as loose crystals for inhala tion or external use in headache, neuralgia and similar troubles. The oil is used as a flavoring in most varied kinds of products, such as candies, soaps and various drinks. The United States is a large exporter of peppermint oil. It has varied in price from cents to three dollars and fifty cents per pound in the last ten years.
Red Pepper (Capsicum species). Solanacinr. (T. B. Young.) Figs. 690, 691 ; also Fig. 95.
In the United States these plants, belonging to Capsicum alumna, Linn., and varieties, Capsicum frutcscens, Linn., and varieties, and perhaps still other species, are annuals, although where they are not killed by frost the latter series of forms are perennials.
C. nonuser is a very variable member of the family So/anaccat It has a fibrous root system, a smooth, branching, herbaceous stem, one to three feet high, bearing entire, ovate or nearly elliptical, smooth, acuminately-pointed leaves and whitish flowers singly or in small groups at the nodes. The fruits vary widely in size, shape, color and pun gency.
C. fruteseens is a perennial shrub reaching, in warm climates, a height of several feet, with branched and spreading tops, sometimes decum bent; leaves broadly ovate, fruits most various in shape, size and color, but usually small and very pungent, borne on long peduncles.
Paprika type. (Fig. 690.) A. sweet red pepper, mild in pungency, grown especially in Hungary, coming into the world's commerce through the port of Budapest chiefly. The plant resembles in general appearance the ordinary red pepper of the garden, the fruit varying from a narrow, truncated-conical form to a slender pointed form. It is grown to a limited extent in South Carolina, where it seems best suited to a rich, loamy soil. It has come on the market in small quantities from California.
In the South, the seed should be sown in a well prepared seed-bed by March 1, and covered very lightly. The plants should be ready for transplant ing to the field by the last of April. A rich, loamy soil suitable for garden purposes is desirable. It should be put in good tilth by April 1, when the plants are ready for the field. When necessary, any good combination of fertilizers may be used. A mixture of 8 per cent phosphoric acid, 4 per cent ammonia, and 4 per cent potash has been found beneficial. Stable manure is good.
The plants are set in rows three to four feet apart, and twelve to eighteen inches apart in the rows. Cultivation is given as for other field crops. In July the pods begin to ripen. They are picked at about weekly intervals and dried in special dry ing houses by low, artificial heat. They are sold in this condition or after the removal of the stems. The seeds may also be removed and sold separately.