The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-04-09
Cost Of a Canning Factory.


for canning 1000 three-pound or 2, $50 two
pound cans per day Can be used IN con-
nection with steam or set in brick.
One scalding kettle.
One exhaust kettle.
One process kettle.
Two scalding baskets.
Two exhaust crates.
Two process crates.
One crane.
Three furnace doors.
Three CRATE bars.
Two gasoline 6repotS.
Two soldering machines.
Two three-pound soldering canpcrs.
Two Gaping irons.
One forging stake.
One forging handle.
Two pair can tongs.
Vice, hammer, etc.
This outfit can be purchased in Baltimore
for $3.50 f. o. b., and the freight from Balti-
more to Charleston by sail will be 81 per ton
of 1000 pounds. The purchaser can, by
instructions sent with outfit, put up and
operate it without the aid of skilled help.
1t would require fifteen hands to success
fully operate it, as follows: One professor,
one capper, one Upper, twelve peelers and
packers. The latter could be done BY women,
boys or girls. In Maryland professors, cap
pers and tippers receive $3.50 per day, peel
ers and packers 81 per day, but often farm
ers do their own processing, which could be
done in this case. Thus the farmer, doing
his own processing, could supervise the cap
per and upper. This labor being simple it
could be had for 81 per day.
Thus the labor necessary for packing the
above number Of cans would consist OF:
One professor (farmer himselD .....s $50
One capper and Upper, 81 each. .. 200
Twelve hands (peelers and packers).. 900
Total l......... .......... $40 .oO
We will now figure the cost of raw materi-
al, cans, cases, labels, etc, required in pack
ing 1000 3-pound cans per day. Tomatoes
will be taken for example:
One hundred bushels tomatoes, at 20
cents per bushel. $4,000. 90
Two thousand 3-pound cans 49,. 45.00
Labor in packing g................... 1850
Labels, solder. etc. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 400
Eighty-thres cases Capacity "a cans to
the case). ............. I92
Total Observation-Disclosures. SS7.42
Now SS7.42 is what it costs to pack 1000
3-pound cans of tomatoes per day Qabor and
materially Thisirclndes pay for the farmer
at S2. 80 per day. Also $40 is included for
his raw material Thus he is paid for his
labor and material We now market these
1000 cans, consisting of SO cases, and re-
ceive S165 per case, the present market
price. Thus we have Sl36.95, or q profit OF
S49.5 O pretty good showing for one days
work. Where one has to buy wood or coal
it would reduce these figures, but q profit Of
$40 per day can be counted on, even where
one has to furnish all labor and buy his raw
material, including wood and coal.
crop and not depend entirely on his neigh
boris for his canning supply; he can then
realize profit on his product in two ways.
I would not advise farmers to pack corn, the
labor and expense attached to packing this
article is so much that they could not COM
pete with the Western packers; it also re-
quires 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 as much money in it as
there would be in utilizing the same acreage
for tomatoes or other vegetables. Now we
will take the profits on an acre Of tomatoes
grown Tor canning purposes: In the first
place, the plants can be set out after all dan
ger of frost is passed; the farmer can now
obtain seed that wilf yield from 500 to 700
bushels per acre; for an average say 4oO
bushels; he disposes of his product either
by canning it himself or selling to his neigh
bors at 90 cents pc. -bpshel: thus he realizes
$40 per acre. runs no risk from early plant.
ing and is sure of getting his money quite
different from the present mode OF dispos-
ing Of his produce. Sometimes he does and
very often he doesn't realize, but finds him.
self in debt; even so, he can ship as long rs
he finds it profitable, and when it does not
further pay to ship the surplus can be used
for canning purposes.
AS to the capital one has to have in order
to undertake the canning business, Twill say
that the cost is in the CAD, not the outfit. We
will figure on the amount necessary for one
to have:
Cost Of outfit. Observation-Disclosures. $4,000
Freight 1.W
Brlck work, etc. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. a0.OU
Twenty-Five thousand labels ito st:trt) 400
Freight on cans. $4,000 Ito starD.... $50
S25S. so
The cans can be purchased on six months
time, where parties can close account with
approved paper bearing Gper cent. interest.
This allows one to dispose OF his entire pack
and pay his note without any inconvenience
whatever.
l know of no business where so snail an
investment will yield such satisfactory re-
suits. II Your people wish information rs to
outfits they can address me, and will turn
it over to the manufacturers in person.
J. r. CALHOUN.