The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-12-21
THE HARDIN FUNDAMENTALLY
FERA Canning Plant Produces
1900 Gallons Of Apple Sauce a
Day at Its Bitter Root Cannerv

tor, the deal taking place eariv in Oc-
tober. Redesigning and remodelinp op-
erations were necessary before opera
lions as extensive as contemplated
could begin. The cannery opened Oct.
is on a contract designed to keen It
running until shortage Of apples stop
ped operations. It Is now expected op-
erations will cease any day, due to a
serious shortage Of apples, hastened by
a early November frost.
The plant built about 1870 Is an ex-
cellent one, well equipped and conven-
iently located. Much Of the machinery,
designed by MI. Parker. has been In
stalled merely to facilitate operations
for unskilled relief labor which is being
used entirely. At the same time, par
ticular emphasis was placed on elm
nation Of safety hazards in designing
and remodeling Of the plant, with the
result that not a single accident has
occurred in the plant to date.
Gull apples, bought by MI. Parker
at S. a ton delivered and So a ton when
delivered more than 10 miles, are
brought into the plant daily, unloaded
on the al platform and stacked in
side for cleaning.
A group of about six men look the
apples over carefully, wash them, cut
out any bad parts and pass them ON
to another worker, who places them in a
special steam heated passageway. AS
the apples pass through the intense
heat on a moving belt inside the pas
sage way, about 30 feet long, they are
thoroughly cooked. AS they emerge at
the end Of the cooker, looking very
much like the baked variety, they fall
into a rapidly whirling cylinder inside
the pulping machine.
Operating on the gravity principle,
the machine tears the apples apart,
then whirls the peels, seeds and core
out n side Of the machine ard forces
the apple sauce into a strainer. The
sauce, with nothing added, Is then run
through the strainer into empty cans,
which come down steriliEed from up
stairs yer an endless belt. The filled
ans pass down the belt, where lids are
stamped on. They are then placed in
steel retort baskets, each of which hold
PIG one-gallon cans, and hoisted INTO
the three retort cookers for 45 minutes
Of cooking at an average Temperature of
o1OAV Il NS6ASCo SSA1eA62 o0Cs
After removal from the torts the
cans in the basket are cooled and ,'ow-
cred by elevator to the basement, where
they are inspected for flaws, labeled
and packed in wooden boxes made at
the plant from lumber shipped and cut
at Bonner.
A full crew consists of about % men
and women, certified from the relief
rolls of RavalH county.
Up to Nov. z the plant turned out
23,508 of No. 10 cans, which contain
just a gallon of apple sauce.
Nov. Z a carload Of l,154 cases con-
tanning six cans to the case, or 1924
ans of apple sauce, was shipped from
Hamilton, for storage until the product
is distributed to thankful relief families
this winter.
In addition to this activity, which has
taken care of all surplus Gull apples in
the region, the commission purchased
81 800 boxes of &C" grade Mcintosh ap-
Piles for relief distribution as fresh fruit.
The purchases kept many in the Bit
ter Root valley off the relief rolls and
made possible a great Drowned gobbler
on the tables of most of them. AND to
these already on relief all over Mon
tana it means al apple a day" plus
a generous serving of delicious apple
auc every now and then.