The Portland daily press., 1894-09-21
4 PROSPEROUS SEASON.
The Corn Crop This Year Is Above
Expectation.
The Invention of Portland Man in Ac
tive Operation and the Great Work 1t
Accomplishes-A Report :from an Inn
portant Industry
Especial to the PRESS.)

Especial to the PRESS.)
Dixfeld, Me-, September 20. Mon day
| will close one of the most prosperous
seasons in the historysof the corr. shop a,
| this place, although the pack has moi
been as large as it was the first year the
factory started, at which time $4,000
cans were packed from $50 acres plant
| ed. This year 400, 900 cans will be packed
| from 230, acres signed, which shows
| that the yield per acre has been very
large, while the quality of corn has nev.
| er been equalled in this section.
While the better crops this year than
ever before are due in great measure,
| to the favorab BILE season, yet they are due
| in no small degree to the farmers them.
| selves, who are just learning how to
| raise the crop successfully. While this
season marks an epoch among the farm
| ers, it also marks change in the man
er of canning. In this process the corn
is cooked by steam before canning. in
| stead OF being canned cold as before. 1t
was tried here last yearton a small scale,
but 1T was found that the press did not
Mi as we'll with hot corn as it did while
cold filling unevenly and with con
siderable waste. To overcome these diff
culties John f. Burnham. of the firm of
Burnham, Morrill, & Co, ,of Portland, Me-, J,
conceived the idea of the press now used
in this factory. His conception of a
press was one in which simplicity should
com bine with cleanliness and do quick
and accurate work. In making this ma
chine he had the help of Henry r. Stick
ney of Portland. 1t would be hard to
find two men better fitted for this work
than these two. Mr.. Stickney being a
practical machinist and ranking among
the best inventors OF the state, and Mr..
Burnham, with a judgment matured by
30 years experience in the canning In
dustry. 1t is not surprising that these
two men who have accomplished much
aIoue, should meet with success fin thus
working together. That the machine is
a success no one who has seen it work
can doubt, for it excels all others in
asmuch as it does more work and does
it better than any other machine in ex-
lstonce. 1t requires not the trained eye
OF machinist to see that the complex
system OF gearing observed in other ma
chimes, and which require constant at
tenulon, Is not an advantage 1t works af-
ter the manner of d pump, with sleeve
attachment, which controls the filing
of the caus, and so accurately does it
perform its work that it can be gauged
to fractional part of an ounce with
absolutely no variation in an entire days
work. Its rapidity may be judged from
the fact that In one day last week it
filled 40, ,575 cans, and at no time during
the day was the press running to its lin
it. It works at the rate of As strokes
each minute simultaneously filling two
cans at each stroke. SO that the capacity
of tha shop is practically limited to the
amount of corn and number of retorts.
More retorts we understand will be
placed here next year and as to the
by themselves, for the company have the
confidence of the farmers, which has
been honestly earned by them in living
up to their motto Good weight and good
nav y