The Tupelo journal., 1906-09-14
FARMER AND PLANTER
CANNING VEGETABLES.
An Interesting Report From the Lou
isiana Experiment Station.

aa s -
"A report from Z. ]. Watson, of the
Louisiana experiment STATEN, giving
| results secured at that station in the
canning of fruits and vegetables with
a canning outfit costing but SO is
quite interesting. The one used at
the Louisiana station had a capacity
of 300 two-pound ans and 200 three
| pound cans per day. 1t consisted, es-
sontially, of a specially constructed
galvanized iron toiler, made to mt eth
e. a No. Z or No. s kitchen stove, a
basket or carrier that fitted inside the
boiler. a tongs and soldering irons.
The station ran two OF these outfits,
AMI the expense for labor and material
required to run them n day. in put
ting up 600 two-pound cans OF toma-
toes, exclusive of the cost OF the fruit,
which was grown by the station, was
S21.4O. These canned tomatoes were
sold for 70 cents per dozen, or a total
of $35 for the lot, leaving a balance
of $3.50 to pay for the tomatoes used.
The details observed in the canning
OF tomatoes with this outfit is thus
stated by the report:
I'm canning tomatoes the first step
Is to scald the fruit just sufficient to
loosen the skin so that 1t can be
slipped' off. To do this We use a large
iron kettle, commonly called a wash
pot The tomatoes are placed in a
cheap tin vessel holding about one
third of a bushel, that has been
punched full of small holes, and
dipped into the boiling water and al
lowed to remain about q minute, or
until the skin will slip readily. The
fruit is then peeled, sliced and filled
directly into the empty cans. The
cans must be we'll filled for coed re-
suits. This finishes the first step.
The filled cans are then passed to the
second stage of the operation. The
TOP OF the cans are wiped dry with a
clean cloth, the cap placed on and sol
dered around the rim, the small hole
or vent in the center of the cap being
left open. Then We are ready for the
third step-that of exhausting, eXpell-
ing the air out of the cans. This IS
accomplished by ~submerging the cans
in the boiling water Tin the boiler)
about two-thirds of their length. They
are held there until they come to a
boil, or for tomatoes, ten lnute
They are then removed, the small
hole in the center of the top closed
with solder, and the cans are q e
completely submerged in the boiling
water. or professor, 20 minutes. which
Is the fourth, and last, step in the OPP
Grafton"
Tomatoes, string beans, asparagus,
rhubard, okra, caulifower, strawber-
eies, bl~ackberries. raspberries, peaches,
pears. plums, cherries, applies, figs,
etc. can be successfully canned in a
Somewhat similar manner Corn and
peas can not be successfully preserved
by this method unless the cans are
processed-boiling etc.-for three and
one-half to four hours. But even then
there will be many losses from swelled
and spoiled cans. A bushel OF toma-
toes will yield about twelve three
pound cans of finished product. Do
not try to figure up the comparative
cost of the cans you can buy at the
store. When 0 can your tomatoes,
or other vegetables of fruits, you know
what is in the cans When you buy
canned tomatoes or other proSucss,
you know only by hearsay what the
cans notwithstanding to the best
information, a fair, If not generous,
proportion of hurtful preservatives,
poisonous coal tar, coloring matter,
and the like. Can the home pro%lct;
therefore plant enough of the case to
insure a canned supply for the long
winter months.
Sell what crops you raise as you
can, but what you can't sell, can"