Sharp County record., 1877-12-07
How Tomatoes are Canned.

i ne laTUG COlISl'llP'iOtt .
goods in this country, and the market
which is opening for them in Europe
the great variety of farm products Whlch
the factories demand, and the near
home market which they make 1or per-
ishable fruits and vegetables, render
this industry matter of interest TO all
intelligent farmers. Besides meats ana
fish preserved by this method, nearly
all the more common and perlSShaDie
fruits and vegetables are canned ana
made available for food during the
whole year. A canning factory IS one
of the most useful and economical lnsu-
tutions that can be established in an ag.-
ricultural community. The process OF
preserving is now so well undersVoou,
and the work is so thoroughly done that
the goods will keep for years, and can
be sent on long sea voyages to all ell
mates and to the remotest countries;
There is hardly any limit to the demand
for these goods, so that factory VIII
make good home market for nearly
all fruits and vegetables that can not De
disposed of in the fresh condition. IL
is complete remedy for any glut IN
the local markets for when the muck
sters or middlemen cease to pay hvlhg
prices, the factory takes the oyerpluS'
The packing companies are one lmpor-
tant factor in the solution of the question
of cheap food supply for the million: !:
An almost inconceivable amount OF
wholesome food is gathered and mar
keted at cheap rates that would other
wise be lost. In many ways this IN
dustrv stimulates the production OF
fruits and vegetables in districts remote
from large markets. 1t gathers up the
fragments, so that nothing is lost.
Your readers will be interested IN a
description of the canning process as
carried on by the Dudley Packing Com
pany at their factory, established IN TINS
place the present season. The capital
called for in factory that will use up a
thousand bushels of tomatoes a day is
about $4,000. The company began
with tomatoes, because the demand tor
them is very large, and they can be
grown in quantity on short notice
| Seeds were distributed during the winter
and spring, and the farmers pledged
themselves to cultivate at least 10 acres
of tomatoes, and the price was fixed at
80 cents bushel. 1t was regarded as
an experiment, many of the farmers
doubling whether the crop would pay at
that price. The company engaged to
take all that they would raise. Both
parties have kept their engagements,
and not only has the factory consumed
all the tomatoes produced in this vlclnl'
ty, but large quantities have been
brought from New Jersey by steamer
and rail for packing here. The yield on
good land, we'll cultivated, has reached
in some cases, 400 bushels to the acre
which pays fairly for rather bulky crop
The company furnish crates, holding
just bushel, open at the top, and tur'
nished with pro jecting posts at the cor,
ners, so that they can be packed one
crate on top of another without dam
aging the fruit. The payments are in
cash on delivery of the goods. The
first operation in the canning process is
the scalding of the fruit to loosen the
skin. The scalding tank is six feet long,
three feet wide and two feet deep, and
stands upon the platform, outside OF
the building near the door. This tank
is filled with water, and kept near the
boiling point by steam. A sieve of iron
wire fits into the top of the tank, and
receives two bushels of tomatoes for q
charge. A jet of steam is turned into
the water, and the tomatoes remain IL
it a half minute, when they are raised
by the sieve, which turns on a hinge
and are dropped into two boxes at the
lower end of the tank. Two men man
age the scalding tank, and a boy dis
tributes the fruit among the peelers with
in.
Thirty-six women and girls attend tC
this department. They are arranged a
the sides of troughs, elevated sufficiently
for convenient handling, each workman
having pail and box for the deposi
of the skins and refuse; each tomato /:
peeled and cleaned of all decay anc
green around the stem. The price paiC
for this work is 81 cents q pail, and thu
days work is from 80 to 40 pals to eacf
operative, according to her skill and ac
tivity. The pals are carried by boys tC
the steamer, which is upon an elevated
platform, and discharges into the hop
per for packing. The overseer of thu
steamer carefully examines each pailful
as it is spread out, for any neglect among
the peelers, and removes the unript
portion if any is found. She also give
check for each pailful, which the boy
returns to the operative, and these
checks are the certificates of the amoun
of labor performed.
From the steamer the tomatoes fall
into a hopper, and then into the stuffer
which is a cylinder WOrke by q treadle