The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1890-04-17

THE COMING INDUSTRY.
FACTS CONCERNING THE COST OF
OUTFIT AND THE PROFITS

FACTS CONCERNING THE COST OF
OUTFIT AND THE PROFITS
Showing that there is Big Money in it to
the Farmers of Piedmont North Caro-
lima.
Correspondence to New Berne Journal
II herewith submit estimate of ccst
of outfit and the necess ary articles of
m&chinery FOR canning 1000 3 tb. or
2,750 2 To. cans per iay-to be used
with steam or set in brick:
l scalding kettle, l exhaust ket.
tie, l process kettle, 2 scalding baskets,
2 exhaust cages, 2 process cages. l
crane, 3 furnace doors, 8 setts of CRATE
bars, 2 gasoline frepots. 2 Gaping
machines, l soldering capper, 2 tip
ping cappers. forging stake, 2 pair
of can tongs, vice, hammer, 2 files,
ETC. This outfit can be purchased in
Baltimore for S150-F. 0. B.-the
purchaser can, by instructions sent
with outfit, put up and operate it with
out the aid of skilled help. It would
require Is hands to successfully ope
rate it as follows: 1 professor, cap
per, Upper, IL peelers and packers
the latter could be done by women.
boys and girls. In Maryland process
ors, cappers and tippers receive from
$500 to 50 so per day. Peelers and
packers s1.OO per day, but often farm
ers do their own processing, which
could be done in this case. Thus the
farmer could supervise over the cap
per and Upper, this work being sim
pie, it could be had for 81 90 per day.
Thus the labor necessary for packing
the above number of cans would con
sist of
professor Qhe farmer himself) ...... 80
l capper and Upper ....... .................2.o0
II hands (peelers and packers) ........ 900
$1,000
We will now figure the cost of raw
material, cans, cases, labels, etc. re
quired for packing 1000 8 fb. cans
per day. Tomatoes will be taken for
example-1O0 bushels will be 'quired
to fill these 1000 cans 6 fb.) Thus
we have 100 bushels tomatoes at 20
cents per bushel, $40
1000 cans $45 90
Labels solder, etc.. l.OO
Cases containing "a cans, Id. 7.92
s3-.42
Now $S742 is what it cost to pack
1000 3 fb cans of tomatoes per day
(labor and materially this includes pay
for the farmer at $3.50 pei day; also
$50 is included for his raw material.
We now market these 1000 cans con-
sisting Of SO acres and receive ST.
per case, the present market price.
Thus we have 1865, or profit of
1898, pretty good showing for one
days work Where one has wood or
coal to buy it would reduce these fig
ures, but a profit of $40 c,uld he
counted on, even where one has t. fur
nish all labor AMI buy his raw mate
rial, wood or coal. / would advise
farmers tp plant ,heir OWE crop and
not depend entirely on his neighbor
for his canning supply. He can then
realize profit on his product in two
ways Iwould Iot advise farmers to
pack corn; the labor and expense at
tached to packing this article is so
much that they could not compete
with the Western packers. 1t requires
expensive machinery for silking and
removing the corn from the cob, and
as they have every facility and pack
nothing else, there would not be much
money in it as there would be in util-
izing the same acreage in tomatoes or
other vegetables.
Now we will take the profits on one
acre Of tomatoes, grown for canning
purposes. In the first place the plants
can be put out after all danger of
frost is passed. the farmer can now
obtain seed that will yield him from
800 to 700 bushels per acre; for an av-
erage we will say 45O. He disposes
of his product either by packing it in
cans himself, or selling to.his neighbor
at 20 cts per bnshel. Thus he realizes
$50 per acre; runs no risk from early
planting, and he is sure of getting his
money, quite different from the pres
ent mode of disposing of his product.
Sometimes he does, and again he does
not, but more often finds himself in
debt Even so, he can ship as long
as he can find it profitable; then when
it does not pay to ship, the surplus can
be packed. As to the capital one has
to have in order to undertake the can
ming business, will say that the cost
in the cans, not the outfit, we will fig
ure on the amount necessary for one
to have:
Cost OF outfit oOOU
Freight (about) ....... SOO
Brick work, etc......... oOOU
%, 900 labels TO start; ...45 90
$252.0O
The cans can be purchased on six
months time where parties can close
account with approved paper, bearing
six per cent. interest. This allows one
to dispose of his entire pack and pay
his note without any Inconvenience