Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-06
HOW PEAS ARE CANNED
PROCESSES IN A LARGE FACTORY
IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
Work Of Preserving Vegetables-A
Growing Industry-Machines More
Important Than Hand Labor.

Rome. N. Y, Correspondence New York Tribune.
The season of canning activity at the two
plants in this city and in others IN sur
rounding villages is now on In good earnest
and from this time till the cold weather OF
the approaching fall there will be no ces-
sation. The season for opening is about d
fortnight earlier than that of last year.
Peas are the first crop to mature, ana
the early varieties. commonly known as
June peas, are of a quality seldom equaled-
Central New York might well be called the
home of the canning industry of the en-
pire state from the number of factories
here. One OF the largest, and perhaps the
largest. is on the banks of the Black River
canal. about half a mile north of it's juno
ton with the Erie canal. In connection
with the factory there Is large farm.
where are grown some Of the products pu.
up in cans. while the farmers round about
furnish the rest on contracts for acreage.
In the course Of the busy season many men.
women and young people find employment,
and many family's little store of money is
materially increased
Work Of Machinery.
The industry of putting up canned goods
is rapidly growing. and the processes by
which the different crops are made ready
for the market form interesting sight.
1
ity with which the work is carried on and
the important part played by machinery
Take, for instance, the canning of peas.
where the vines are cut in the field by a
moving machine and loaded on the wagons
the same as is done with hay. Arriving at
the sheds of the factory as wanted, they
are placed on an endless chain and car
ried overhead to the workmen who tend
the machine known as the ''viner In
looks 1t resembles large, old-fashioned re-
Ua1V NO cfI1f "a
dies which beat the pods and allow the
peas to fall out through the meshes OF the
cage, while the vines and pods are carried
by the endless chain to the silo, some dis
lance away. AS some pieces of vines and
pods pass through with the peas, they are
run through squirrel cage, which, revoiv-
ing, causes the peas to be separated from
the other substances when they pass OUT
of 1T into trays
Passing onward the peas are next poured
into a machine reminding one of the old
time tanning mills seen in farmers barns.
Here they are further cleaned before pass
ing through into the grader" which is
another cylinder, in which there are sew
eral sections with different sized meshes,
and the peas roll along until they come to
the mesh which permits them to fall
through. All the while they are in this
cage dropping water is washing them and
carrying out the dirt that may be on them.
Each size is now labeled and kept separate.
Cleaning and Cooking.
Tho "blancher," as it is called is trough
Of boiling water, through which the trays
of peas are carried on the endless chain, re-
Quiring about ten minutes to pass twenty
five feet. AS some of the skins Of the peas,
and possibly other dirt. may yet be clinging
to the peas, they move on to the second
series of squirrel cages. where the revolving
motion again cleans them while cold water
is continually dripping into the cage and on
them. Now they pass out on to a belt about
three feet wide and slowly move along be-
tween rows of women. whose business it is
to pick out any bad peas or any other for
eign substance. Dropping from this table
into trays, they are carried by men to the
filler. 1t is the machine which automatical
ly fills the cans, which are dropped down
through tubes from the storeroom above.
When the can falls into position on the
moving chain it is carried under the spout,
which is then automatically opened. allow
ing the same quantity of peas to fill each
can. at the rate of seventy to eighty cans a
minute. The movement is SO well timed
that it's place is taken by an empty can
while it moves under the pipe through
which the hot liquid is automatically meas
ured and poured into 1T. The can now
swings on it's course, going through
brusher, or wiper, where it is cleaned and
any surplus on top brushed off Two boys
now place caps on the cans as they move
along past them to the soldering machine,
with which is combined the ..acder," which
prepares 1t for taking the solder After
they come out of there they are branded
with the quality and grade while on the
way to the "dotter," who soldiers the little
hole in the center of each cap. The in
spector then takes his turn, and if the cans
are all right they are soon at the end of
their first journey, they pass on to
table, whence they are removed and put
into large steel crates, preparatory to sec
Gnd journey of some 100 to 200 feet under
ground on an endless chain to reach the
building where the cookers are.
Coming out of the cookers the crates
now go on to a slowly moving chain, which
takes about half an hour to pass through
the channel of cold water $50 feet long to
the storeroom. where they are cool enough
to handle. Later in the season, when the
labelling is done. machinery again takes
prominent place.
Among the products of this plant are
canned peas, beans, succotash, pork and
beans, pumpkins, tomatoes and beets.