Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-06-10
Canning Interest.
AN INDUSTRY EMPLOYING THOUSANDS OF
PRISONS AND ENGAGING LARGE
CAPITAL.

II
teresting way of an important PENN
sula industry:
Within the last decade the fruit
canning and preserving industry has
steadily and rapidly developed in Della
ware and the Eastern Shore of Mary
land. and the prosperous farmer who
does not have one or more evaporating
machines on his "good acres is re-
garded as slow and unprogressive;
while every town has its basket or box
factory and tin shop giving employ
ment to hundreds of boys and girls,
who would otherwise remain idle at
home.
The number of acres now under cul-
tiyation in strawberries, blackberries
and raspberries will approximate 3o,-
600, and whilst the shipments for 1873
amounted to 5000, 900 quarts the sub
sequent shipments up to 1880 show an
increase of 5000, 900 quarts. How to
dispose Of the surplus fruit, THAT is,
the soft and specked fruit, which would
not admit of shipment, was problem
long unsolved by the growers. A pro-
tracted rain storm rotted it on the trees,
and an overstocked market piled it in
pyramidal heaps in the fields for COM
post.
Now, however, even the kernel of
the peach is turned to good account,
for tons of the seed are shipped annual
ly to the drug manufactures of our
large cities. The surplus crops of
blackberries, raspberries, &c are no
longer dumped overheard or left upon
the vines to water rot or shrivel in the
sun. Such fruits are now canned and
preserved, and find ready sale, and
command even fancy prices, not only
in our own but also in the best markets
of European countries. One would i'm
agine that peaches, grown as they are
to such an unlimited extent, with con-
slant and immense additions of new
and vigorous trees, owing 10 the rapid
ly decaying nature of the fruit, would
prove a serious pecuniary loss during
what is vulgarly termed "glut in
the market. And so it did, few years
back. But now everything is saved,
except the parings, and it is even con-
fdently anticipated that some enter
prising genius will turn this refuse mat
ter into dollars and cents at no distant
| day. fhe invention and introduction
of machinery to utilize SO great pecu-
MARY advantage the thousands of tons
of " waste fruit has saved thousands
Of dollars to the growers and is build
ing up an industry in Delaware and
Maryland that must in few short years
take precedence of all others.
All the perishable and unmarketable
fruit, peaches, pears, apples, &c, are
gathered and taken TO the sorting room,
when the most unsoHnd are separated
from the medium good" and the
latter are pared and quartered. They
are then spread upon wooden trays,
which revolve upon endless chains in
an enclosed frame work, the heat be,
ing kept at an even temperature by
means OF conducting pipes from fur
mace in the cellar. This is what is
known as conserved fruit. !. has
bright, rich color, most delicious fla
vor, and retails at from 10 TO SO, and
has commanded as high as 90 cents
per pound. Tomatoes, peas, beans,
corn, &c, as well as turkeys, chickens,
ducks, geese, Sc, are now canned in
the Peninsula, One firm alone canned
IS tons of tomatoes in one season. =
There are, according to the best infor-
nation obtained, IS evaporating facto.
ries and 81 canning establishments, fruit,
vegetable and poultry, besides hun
dreds of basket and box factories and
tin shops, for the manufacture of tin
cans and cases, all of which are directly
identified with the industry. There
are about 10, 600 people = men, women,
and children employed in various
capacities in the establishments, which,
with the pickers during the proper sea-
son, will increase the aggregate to 90
900 employees.
Although most of the proprietors
firmly but courteously decline to have
their private business ventilated in de-
tail in public print, they are decided
and unanimous that no other industry
in the Peninsula has acquired 50 wide
spread reputation or has developed SO
rapidly into such immense proportions