The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-08-21
PEA CANNERY PACKED
THOUSANDS OF CASES
Industry In This Section Prom
Uses To Grow With Each
Succeeding Year.

III summing up tilt Industries VI
Garrett county there has been little
or no mention made of one whose i'm
portance, from the ordinary point q
observation, is not very large yet was
placed in this locality at quite an out
lay Of capital and after a thorough
investigation of the possibilities of
this section of the county as a pea
growing community.
The canning factory at Mountain
Lake Park has developed, as one
might say, from a little experiment
carried out four years ago in the mill
of the Grange Milling Company, and
occupies at this time its own well
equipped buildings with every modern
machine to take care of the large and
ever increasing volume of business.
The quality of the peas packed at
this factory this year met with the
fullest expectations of the manage
ment and the disposition of the farm
ers toward the company influenced it
to such an extent that after much
deliberation it was decided to equip
a modern plant and establish it at
its present location.
For the benefit of those who have
not been so fortunate to see this can
ming factory in operation the follow
ing article describing it has been pre-
pared in which the method of hand
ling the peas on large scale is de-
scribed in brief manner.
First, however, it should be noted
that Mr.. n. H. Fooks, president of the
Mount Airy Canning Company has
been very fortunate in securing the
services of highly qualified men to
take charge of the different depart
ments of the industry.
Mr.. R. NJ. Peacock, veteran can
ner, is general manager of the plant,
the entire product being packed under
his direct supervision.
The peas are brought to the fac
I tory and delivered to the viners and
~a3e handled there much the same way
wheat is handled at the thresher. The
viners have a capacity of about two
/ tons of shelled peas per hour. In adj
| dition to the viners, which number
two at the factory, there is another
viner located near Gortner, placed at
that point for the convenience of the
pea growers Of that community. The
/ peas from that section are thus taken
to the factory already hulled and af-
ter passing through other processes
there are ready for the cans. This
department is supervised by Mr.
Charles Churn.
From the viners the peas are car
ried on a conveyor into a cleaner
where all the vines and leaves are
famed out. From this machine they
pass through a whirling washer and
from thence out over a long endless
belt table where about forty women
and girls pick out all foreign matter
as the peas pass slowly by them or
this belt. The belt contrivance deliv-
ers the peas to an other machine
known as a grader which grades them
in six uniform sizes. This machine is
a large cylinder with a series OF
screens which allow each size to pass
out a seperate opening They are
then put through a blanching ma,
chine, which is a premature cooker
In this cooker the peas are held five
minutes and are subjected to {
steam cooking process for the perioc
of five minutes. From the cooker they
pass through another washer where
they are sprayed with cold water
These operations completed the pea!
are now ready for the cans.
The peas are now passed into {
filling machine which fills unifOrml!
the cans with the correct amount Of
the product and syrup, consisting o.
pure sugar, SdlI anu WdIeI' All "
this work is under the supervision o.
Mr.. J. Howard Reinhardt. With thu
peas in the cans, they are now ready
to be closed. They are conveyed to the
closing or sealing machine where thu
covers are placed on them with {
sanitary rolled seam, no solder be
ing used, and at the rate of probabl!
60 per minute. There are six Of these
closing machines in use at the loca
factory, the output being approx
mately 21,600 cans per hour. The can,
are made by a Syracuse On. W con
Germ, which company has represen
tative present until all the cans ar,
sealed. The can company's represen
tative on this occasion was Mr.. P. S
Tull, of Syracuse.
From the sealing machines the filleC
cans are placed in containers and sub
merged in retorts where the peas ar,
| cooked for thirty minutes in dr.,