Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1908-08-13
ADDRESS MADE BY
CAPT. JOHN A. COBB
Before Horticultural SOCi-
ely on Fruit Canning.

Capt John A. Cobb delivered an adj
dress before the Georgia State Hor-
tfcultural Society at Cornelia yester-
day on Canning Fruits. AS the
Americus cannery has made such
signal success the past season, Capt.
Cobb was invited to handle the sub
ject His address was as follows;
Mr.. President and Members OF the
Georgia State Horticultural Society
Your Honored President and Secre-
tary requested me to prepare
paper for this meeting on 'Preserv-
ing and Canning Fruits and Their
Commercial Sale" There were two
canning factories at and near Ameri-
Gus this season and each did profit
able business, one with capacity of
50 900 to 10000 BIB cans per day of
peaches.
This plant was large and complete
in every detail. costing between $4,000
and $4,000, the equipment consisting
of 80 horse power boiler and fif-
teen horse power engine
The peaches were brought in in
half bushel baskets, distributed
among negro women, who, with
knives, split them and extracted the
seed, the halved peaches were then
placed in a wire screen endless belt
which ran through boiler-shaped cy-
Under
AS the peaches passed through, a
stream of some patented compound
was thrown on them, which took all
the fuzz off the peach, and then
through another stream containing
disinfectant, and the peaches were
poured out at the other end of the
boiler free from all fuzz and disin-
fected of worms, rot or other inn
purities.
The pieces were then thrown on
tables and women assorted them into
grades placed them in BIB cans, set
them on an endless belt which ran
down through a vat of water, which
filled them with water then by wo
men. who placed the top on each
can, then through a machine with
gas jet and solder attached, which
soldered on the tops
The cans were then carried to
man who dropped solder in a small
hole which had been left in the top
of each then on, and just before the
endless belt was reversed, employees
lifted them off of the belt and placed
them in a large Open-work iron basket
that held several hundred.
The basket was lifted by a crane
and dropped into a large vat of hot
water, remaining there a few min
utes was then lifted by the crane
and turned and dropped into a vat of
cold water, in a few minutes the
basket was lifted and the crane turn
ed and the basket deposited on the
floor and the cans were then taken
out, passed to a machine that puts the
labels on each
They were then packed in wooden
cases containing two dozen cans each
and were then ready for the market
This plant put up five grades of can
ned peaches. The first and second
grades had about a table spoon full
of sugar put in each can. The low
est grades did not have the fuzz taken
off of the peaches and are what are
sold as -'Pie Peaches.
This plant was operated fifty days
and put up over a half million cans,
all of which have been sold and
shipped to various points
They paid an average of fifty cents
per bushel for peaches delivered at
the factory and had a full supply all
the time they were in operation. The
water was supplied from the city wa
ter works
There were seven or eight white
men familiar with the work-most of
the other labor, about $50, were negro
girls and women They work by
the piece and made from 75c to 81
per day; all the labor needed was
available and did not interfere with
farm work in the neighborhood as
those employed were a set of town
negroes that generally lived in idle
ness.
The other factory is located on the
Ware Peach Orchard" just South of
Americas on the line of the South
Western division of the Central Rail-
way
The capacity is about $500 BIB
cans per day They had a Is horse
power engine and boiler l water
tank; 8 large boilers; 1 iron basket
wooden cooler; l wooden crane
with iron fixtures; Gasoline tank and
soldering heater. The peaches were
peeled by hand machine and all ma
chinery under one cover, except the
gasoline tank, which was thirty feet
from the building
Inc cost or this outfit, not includ-
ing water tank, engine and boiler.
was about $3.50. Deducting the cost
of canning, the peaches netted them
soc per bushel. The labor employed
was what they had on the peach farm.
This gives the description of =,
large and small canning factory.
1t requires a large amount of water
for canning factory and tank to
hold the water is necessary.
To equip factory, capacity of 200
to l,500 cans per day, will cost, ex-
elusive OF engine and boiler, 500.
Capacity 1000 cans, 5000, and so
on, in proportion, up to $4,000. The
engine and boiler usually on a farm,
will furnish all steam and power
needed, and therefore is not included
in the cost of canning plant.
The cappiDo IF vooo+a h1ae ,on,,;vo,