Spearmint (_Mentha spicata_) is a well-known perennial of the mint
family which is very frequently found growing wild in moist situations
throughout the eastern half of the United States. It is widely used
for seasoning meats, and the leaves and flowering tops, as well as
the volatile oil distilled from the whole herb, form marketable drug
products.
Spearmint is easily grown in any fertile soil which is fairly moist.
Its culture and the method of distilling the volatile oil are the same
as for peppermint. To prepare the dry herb for market the leaves and
flowering tops are collected when the first flowers appear and before
the leaves begin to fall and are carefully dried in the shade. The
demand for the dry herb is small, but the annual market requirement for
the oil is about 50,000 pounds.
On ordinary soils the yield of oil varies from 10 to 20 pounds per
acre, according to stand and season, but on muck lands the yield is
usually only a little less than that of peppermint. Before the war the
wholesale prices for the oil ranged from $1.50 to $5, averaging about
$3.30 a pound. The price in June, 1920, was $12 a pound. The dry herb,
which formerly brought from 3 to 4 cents, is now quoted at 6 to 12
cents a pound.
For further information on the growing of spearmint, see Farmers'
Bulletin 694, entitled "The Cultivation of Peppermint and Spearmint."