The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-08-09
6oSrOM DELiCAClES.
iuw Beans and Fish Are Canned In the
Large Factories of the Hub

INV Beans and Fish Are Canned in the
Large Factories of the Hub.
Nine-tenths of all the beans sold in
cans on this continent are put up in
Boston. Their preparation in this form
is carried on upon huge scale by a
number of factories, and the processes
employed for turning out the lncom-
parable product are most interesting.
In some essential points they are secret
and patented, while the labels and
brands are valuable properties. The
best hand-picked Vermont beans, as
thew come i'm barrels from the commits
sion houses, are poured upon sleeves to
take away the last remaining dust, and
picked over again by girls with the ut
most care so as to get rid of every i'm
perfect one Then they are put in
huge watts that hold one hundred
bushels each, and washed with running
water. The dirt that rises to the top IS
skinned and the water drawn off.
More water is poured on, and
they are left to soak over night.
Next morning fresh water is put In
with them and they are parboiled aft
err which they are put into big jars
of earthenware four feet high and
baked a certain time in hot ovens.
Next, the beans are loaded into cans
by machine that works with incred-
ible rapidity, picking them up and fill
ing them from an automatic feeder
at the rate of about two a second.
The delicacy of this piece of mechan-
ism will be better appreciated when it
is considered that the beans at this
stage are in such tender condition
that the slightest rudeness in handling
would render them mushy and unmar-
ketable. But so beautifully adjusted
is the apparatus that each receptacle
is filled in it's turn without so much as
breaking single skin, though the en-
tire operation is performed without
the intervention of human hands.
The cans, as they are laid aside by
the machine, are given an extra
spoonful or so of filling by deft work
men, the object being to get as much
solid contents and as little air into the
tin vessels as may be. In each one, at
the same time, is put a twO-ounce scrap
of pork. for favoring. Then. before
the top caps are put on, the cans are
put back into the ovens and the baking
of the beans completed. OF course no
tasting is necessary, the invariable
achievement of the result desired be-
ing reduced simply to a mathematical
formula, with time and temperature
for known quantities. Thus the prod
uct is always precisely as it should be,
only requiring now few minutes bath
in a hOt-air retOrt. after the caps
have been soldered on the CT rs,
for a final touch. To wind up,
each can has a little hole punched in
its top. to let out any air that may
remain to cause decay, and is imme-
diately sealed up again Theoretically.
All that remains is to paste on the
labels, and the Boston baked beans are
ready for shipment to any part of the
world, where, upon arrival, they are
in perfect condition to eat. only requir-
ing to be placed first in boiling water,
can and all, for dozen moments, to
heat them through.
For those who have faith in fish as
brain fodder, Boston offers most bounti-
full supplies of every inny description.
This, indeed, is the great fish market
of the country, and the quantities of
edible creatures that swim canned here
every year are simply fabulous. Ever
so many gigantic factories. employing
thousands of hands, are engaged in the
business of putting up fish of all sorts
in tin vessels. The extent of the
business as carried on at the
modern Athens and in it's vicinity
may be inferred somewhat from
the circumstance that most of
the factory proprietors make their
own cans, and have their own sailing
craft for catching their supplies of
| mackerel, sea-trOut, haddOck and her.
ring. The fresh fish are washed.
cleaned, dressed, and after having
their heads and tails cut off, are sliced
up and packed in the cans by weight.
The cans thus filled are Theoretically
sealed and cooked in huge iron retorts
filled with steam. After being SUBJ
jected to this process sufficient length
OF time. they are taken out and allowed
to cool. a little vent-hole being
punched in each, and then sealed up
again with solder. In this shape the
fish will last fresh for years; but you
must never by any chance buy a can
that shows an inclination to bulge, for
that is a sign of gases developed by
decomposition inside, owing to i'm
proper packing. Finally the cans are
lacquered, labeled and boxed ready for
sending Off.-Boston Letter.
Trees with Large Leaves.
Trees of the palm family have