No. 2 (1921) REMARKS ON CANNING 6I 



rapidly and thoroughly dries the fish, but they may also be placed 

 on ' flakes.' In temperate and uncertain climates a drying room 

 is advisable, with, if possible, a fan driving or drawing a current 

 of heated air over the grilles ; this is expensive but effectual. 

 Sometimes the room is simply heated, e.g., with steam pipes or 

 stoves, and free ventilation provided by ridge ventilators or by 

 windows. In the United States of America, Canada, etc., a drier 

 such as the Whitman drier, described in paragraph 80 of the 

 Fisheries Bulletin (ist edition) on the " Cure and Preservation of 

 Fish," is in favour. 



50. (3) The frying and packing sJied. — From the dry mg ground or 

 room the fish are taken to the packing room. Sardines are here 

 fried in oil or otherwise pre-cooked in stoves made for the purpose ; 

 mackerel and slices of other fish are also sometimes fried. The 

 fried or merely dried fish are then packed, for which tables, pre- 

 ferably covered with zinc sheets, slate tops, etc., must be provided. 

 Tables and shelves are also required for the empty cans, oils, and 

 other condiments used in packing. The shed must be airy and 

 light in order to minimise the effect of fumes from the hot frying 

 oil and to enable the packers to work accurately. Since work is 

 often carried on after dusk, powerful hanging lamps are desirable. 



51. (4) The closing and processing room. — The packed cans are 

 then taken to the closing and processing shed. Here there must be a 

 series of tables for the solderers, one or two troughs heated by open 

 fire or by steam for testing, exhausting, and for processing if the 

 open tank processing is adopted, and one or two steam pressure 

 kettles if steam is used. This room must also be airy and light and 

 provided with powerful lamps, since both soldering and testing are 

 delicate processes and night work is frequent in India. If solderless 

 cans are used, the machines for at least the closing of the cans 

 (double seamers) must be placed in this room ; at the Government 

 Cannery the whole line of solderless can-making machines is so 

 placed. Since the solderers for closing the packed tins are ac- 

 commodated in this room, it is here also that the machines for 

 making the soldered cans are placed because the same solderers and 

 their tools are employed in making the empty bodies. In brief this 

 room is used both for making the cans whether soldered or 

 solderless and for closing, etc., the packed tins. In a large factory 

 where millions of cans have to be made, it is advisable to have a 

 separate can-making shed, merely placing the double seamers in 



