The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-11
GINNING SEASON OPENS
PEAS, BERRIES AND VEGETABLES TO
BE HANDLED THIS WEEK.
indianapolis Goods Are Being shipped
Extensively All Over the
World.

--
This week will mark the opening of the
canning and packing season Of peas. ber-
ries and vegetables. Few people under
stand the extent Of the canning and pack
ing business at indianapolis. each year in
c~reasing the volume of the business, until
now the name indianapolis is seen on Ia
bells IN almost every country in the world.
One thing the city is most prominently
noted for is the large quantities OF tomatoes
canned here and made into catsups. One
firm has over 1850 acres of tomatoes plant
ed, and an ordinary season yields from 800
TO 400 bushels TO the acre. When the season
is on at it's best, which is in late July and
early August, the daily receipts of toma-
toes average from 5000 to 1000 bushels,
according TO the weather, the rainy wealth
er being detrimental TO the ripening of the
fruit. The country for miles around
Indianapolis also disposes of its surplus
tomatoes at. the various packing and
canning houses here. and there are
over 1000 persons, mostly women and girls,
employed by this firm during the busy sea-
son, peeling the red and glossy tomato. The
wages OF these varies. An industrious
worker can make $40 a week, and perhaps
on the bench beside her will sit a girl who
does nothing but talk. and she will prob
ably make 81; others make an average of
S. TO $40.
Next week will begin the canning of beets,
an entirely new industry in the West. The
firm referred TO above has planted over
100 acres, as an experiment, of the red,
turnip-shaped beet. The process through
which the beet will go is very simple, the
beets being peeled and parboiled. put into
the cans whole. without any f1avoring what
ever, and the can sealed and the beets boiled
again. When the cans are opened in the
winter the beet can be sliced and fixed with
vinegar or any other way desired, and it
will be a question if a person could tell
whether they were freshly boiled beets or
the canned, so perfectly will they be pre-
served. 1t is the intention to pa up about
81 1000 cans of this vegetable for a trial,
and there will be about $50 extra people
employed this week.
Fhe pork and beans put up in Indianapo-
sought after than any other make, and
they are shipped in large quantities all over
the United States. This industry is carried
on throughout the winter, also the making
or catsupS, soups, and ported meats. The
tomatoes from which the catsup is made are
put up in seven-gallon cans in the summer
season and used through the winter for to-
mato sauce. etc. The potted meats, ham
and tongue and the pressed chicken and
"a w. II Sn-O u De put III Oh Ilc HDGSI
quality of meats. The ham is said to be
the best smoked, and it is stated that a
pound can of the pressed chicken is equal
10 a three-pound chicken. The meat is solid
and when taken from the can can be sliced
for sandwiches.
THE LABEL AT CALOOCAN.
Another large plant has in its employ
several hundred persons, who manufacture
various food delicacies, such as canned
soups. catsup, potted meats. salad dressing.
plum pudding, ETC., and the goods OF this
firm are shipped to all parts of the world.
The following letter was received from Ma
Mia one day last week from an Indiana
soldier, and is written on the back
Of one OF the FIRMS mock-turtle soup
labels. 1t is as follows: "Caloocan, seven
miles from Manila. Dear sirs: l will drop
you a line or two to let you know that your
products are on the market and your soups
and other canned goods are very much
sought after by officers and men in the
United States army in Manila. Myself and
CP aloocan ana seeinr 10 so gsop Of IN fb a S sToge IN
of our old home, We purchased a few cans
and this is the first can be tried and found
permit many such dainties. Very truly, ].
Z. Hicks, Battery @, Third Artillery. for
merly of Indianapolis" 1t was written
| apolis soldier at simply seeing the name
of his home on a Label thousands Of miles
4 from home, and to work OH presumably De
tween pipe puffs the exuberance which a
hearty meal produced.
1t is not many years ago when people
would not think of using canned soups or
eatsups. The word alone awakened thoughts
of remnants, but when ii was found out
that they Were the products of the finest
chefs their popularity began to grow, until
now the total output of canned soups in the
United States will probably reach over a
mill ion, cases cas'ssd a year a In fo the c fbs n1pifed
States leads all other countries, and as a
consequence the principal market of local
firms is, as Riley says. right here at
home OF late years indianapolis had be-
come quite prominent through its manufac-
ture of these canned food products. Indian
of the Waldorf-Astoria is read by hundreds
from all parts of the world. and so 1t is a
good advertising agency for the city. 1t had
been feared that the investigating commit
tees wrought sad havoc with the potted
meat trade, but this statement, as far as
correct. as the demand has been heavier
during the past eight months than ever be-
fore, and hundreds of hams, chickens and
OK tongues are made daily into these potted
meats which have become so popular Tor
summer luncheons and picnics.
HANDLING THE TOMATOES.
The busiest season begins with early
August when tomatoes begin coming in
from many hundreds of acres around In
dianapolis and several thousand of bushels
are made into catsuD and soup every day.
The process is rather interesting. Inc To-
matoes are first washed in immense tanks,
then scalded and run through special ma
chinery to remove the cores, skins and seeds,
leaving only the pure juice. This is then
conveyed TO the cooking rooms and reduced
to catsup under the watchful eye of an ex-
pert. 1t is then put into bottles. By Aug =
this firm will be moved from its present
quarters on South Alabama street to more
commOdious quarters in its new factory on
South Meridian street and the Belt rail-
road, which is said to be one of the finest
and most complete food producing plants in
the country. In this factory ii will have a
capacity of $500 bottles daily, in the bottle
! goods department. The soup department is
entirely separate, and is in charge OF a
French chef. Fifteen different varieties of
soups are manufactured in this department.
Thousands of pounds of meat and chicken
are used daily. The meats are chopped into
small pieces and are put into large kettles
and allowed to simmer for twenty-four
hours. To the stock thus made are added
| the vegetables, furnishings, seasoning, and
they are then ready for the cans. After be-
ing filed the cans are lacquered, labeled
and wrapped, ready for shipping. The
capacity in this department is about 1900
| cans daily.
There are two other concerns here that