Farming Through the Ages

Overview

• Farming before machines

• Farming with machines

• A brief synopsis of how mint oil is produced

The types of tools that were used before farmers had machines

How the scythe and sickle were used

Horses and oxen were primarily used for power

A Typical pre 1900 farm

• Family Farm would consist of 40 to 80 acres

• Most families were self sufficient

• Most farms consisted of crops and animals

The introduction of machines

• The threshing machine

• Powered by horses• Purpose was to

separate the grain from the stalk

First Type of Tractor

• First self-propelled tractor had a steam engine

• Next came along gas

Modern Day Tractors and Equipment

• Most are powered by diesel engines

• A lot of tractors have modern day technology of GPS, and autosteer

How the combine evolved from the threshing machine

Modern Day Combine

• Purpose of the combine is to separate the grain from the stalk

• Biggest combine has 462 horse and a 16 row corn head

• Modern Combines allow farmers to cover many acres in a day

Typical Modern Day Farm

• The average farm consists of around 600 acres

• Most farmers farm for a living, although some do it for a hobby

Mint

• Mint is a perennial• All mint oil is on the

leaves•

Planting of Mint

• Mint is planted by roots dug from a field that has mint in it

• Mint can only be planted and dug while it is in dormancy

Mint Harvest

• Windrower cuts mint into a row

• Usually let it dry for a day or two

• It is picked chopped up into a sealed tub

• From the field the tub goes to the mint distillery

Mint Tub “Cooking”

• Steam line sends steam through bottom of tub

• Return line on top takes oil out of tub to condensers

Mint Distillery

• Oil comes in vapor form

• It is condensed into liquid form (oil)

• It then goes into the cans, where it rises to the top because it is lighter than water

• From there the oil is drained into a barrel

Uses of Mint Oil

• It is used to flavor gum, toothpaste, candy, cooking, and many other oral products

• Also used as a remedy to cure an upset stomach

• Mint oil can be used as an air freshner with its sweet smell

Questions?