The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-10-17
An Extensive Canning Establishment.

|
1t is located at Rochester, N. Y, and
is large, three-story brick building,
with basement and extension. The
company employ, during the long can
ming season, from $50 to 200 women,
who work by the piece, as far as prac-
ticable, and earn from 10 cents to $1.50
per day. About 80 men are kept busy
with the heavier. work. They have
canned thus far this year 5000 quarts
of strawberries 1000 bushels of cher
rles 20 acres of peas, probably about
400 bushels; 300 bushels string beans !;
expect to can 5000 bushels of plums |;
over 5000 bushels of tomatoes 1000
bushels of peaches 500 bushels ounces; !;
and about same of Bartlett and virga-
lieus pears. They have contracted for
the pickles of 50 acres. Allowing these
to average $4,000 per acre, the yield
would be 100000, which at Sl.SO per
1,000-the price paid-would amount to
the snug little sum of 5000.
The goods are sold mainly to whole
sale dealers in our large cities, but some
orders are on file from Europe. Four
tinsmiths are at work the year round on
cans, and they can make about 2,4OO a
day, but this year it has been necessary
to purchase several thousand outside.
The american RurdI Home describes at
length the processes, or at least such of
them as are not secrets of the pro-
fession." About 80 barrels of best
granulated white sugar are consumed
daily at this time in making sirup to
sweeten plums. The sugar is dissolved
in boiling filtered water until the sac
charometer indicates the requisite
strength, when it is strained through
white flannel, and is ready for use.
| Square wooden boxes are used for boil
ing the cans, which are filled by hose
from the cisterns, and heated by steam
from the boilers below. Nearly 5000
can be boiling at the same time of the
smaller two-pounds size. They are filed
in the lower story, and % large or 35
small ones, placed in a large iron pan,
with chains crossing diagonally from
the four corners to be used in handling
them. When dozen pans are filled
they are raised by an elevator worked
by steam and placed i'll one of the boxes.
| When sufficiently cooked they are raised
from the boxes by hooks worked upon
pulleys, and slid off upon long tables
upon wheels. Here cold water Is show
cred upon them, and they are wheeled
into the front room and stored.
The front part of the lower story is
used for weighing and asserting tho
fruit, filling and soldering the cans, &c.
The rear part contains the two boilers,
and the engine used in pumping the
water, working the elevator, &c The
wing is used at present for taking in and
husking the corn, and scalding, prepair-
ing, and canning the tomatoes. The
basement is used entirely for picking
cucumbers. Here they take in about
$4,000 cucumbers day, which they salt
down in empty molasses barrels, and
large tanks. After the canning season
is over, they take the pickles out of the
brine, assort them, putting the smaller
size in bottles and the larger in barrels,
filling with the best vinegar. The day
the writer visited the factory, they were
running principally upon plums and
corn. Three long tables were used in
asserting the plums, and filing she cans.
They were taken from wagons into
side door, weighed, and emptied upon
two Of the tables, where they were care
fully assorted and carried to the third
table, where they were filled. Much
jaring and packing, and the company
claim that their cans are filed the best
of any in market. When filed they are
taken to another table and filled with
hot sirup, and.thence passed to the tin.
smiths, who solder on the caps. They
are then placed by boys in the iron pans
ON trucks, wheeled to the elevator, and
sent up to the boilers. When the cans
are thoroughly cooled, they are handled
over, and the ends, which bulge out in
boiling, are pressed in, and if they re-
main concave they are all right, but il
they spring back to their convex form
the air is not completely expelled, and
they are thrown aside. About five IN a
thousand are thrown out. They car
handle about 600 bushels of plums q
day with present facilities. This veal
they can none but the yellow egg plum
as they can obtain all they wish of that
sort. Most of those they use are grown
near the lake shore. They always pre-,
fer light-colored fruit, and use no other
when they can obtain all they wish o.
white or yellow. They used none bu
white cherries this year. Stowell'
Evergreen Sweet Corn is the only va
riety they preserve, justly regarding
that as the sweetest and largest grained
of any. They can handle 800 bushels t
day of ears.
They can handle from eight to ter
tuns of tomatoes in day, which at g.
pounds to the bushel, equals frem 26t
to 333 bushels. They are assorted int
large baskets, in which they are lowered
into tank of boiling water until safh
GENTLY scalded, removed to tables wher
they are peeled and the hard core Gu
out, removed to another table, wher
they are forced through large tunnel
into the cans, and soldered upon anothe
table. AS much as possible of tho juic
is expressed and wasted so that the can
may contain as much solid pulp Us pos
sible.-N. \. Tribune.