THE FARM CANNING FACTORY. 289 



vigorous growths by judicious pruning, in connection, of course, with 

 other proper care. Open-headed trees may be made to grow more compact 

 by heading in, while a gi-adual thinning out of the inner branches corrects 

 trees with too dense or compact heads. Likewise those that are non- 

 symmetrical can be worked into symmetrical trees by removing the 

 abnormal parts, though such treatment is more effective in the earlier 

 training of the plant. As trees get older it becomes necessary to cut 

 out some of the inner branches, to open up the crown, thereby over 

 coming a crowded or bushy appearance, and providing for continued 

 symmetrical development of the tree as a whole. The numerous dead 

 limbs in the centers of even healthy trees are excellent witnesses to this 

 fact. 



THE FARM CANNING FACTORY. 



AXNIE HOFFRATH, IX FRUITMAX AXD GAEDEXEU. 



"Sell what you can and can what you can't," has become the motto 

 01 many truck gi'owers. That is, all surplus vegetables and fruits which 

 Cannot at once be disposed of to a good advantage are preserved for 

 future sale on a better market. This is done by canning the surplus at 

 home, and in such a way as to meet the requirements of the market, 

 and at the same time command a good price. 



The process of canning is very simple, and the machine used is 

 neither complicated nor expensive, which places this industry within 

 the reach of anyone desirous of trying it. 



Asparagus, string beans, peas, sweet corn, squash, beets, sweet po- 

 tatoes, tomatoes, kraut, apples, peaches, pears, berries and chicken, beef 

 and old-fashioned lye hominy are all included in the list of things 

 canned for home use. Tomatoes, string beans and peaches are the chief 

 products of the farm canning factory that are put up for the market, 

 pears and berries being a close second. 



The fruit and vegetables, being gathered fresh from orchard and 

 garden, and packed, sealed and cooked before they are allowed to 

 .deteriorate, retain their flavor unexcelled. 



The fruit and vegetables are packed in the cans by hand while raw, 

 the c^n is at once sealed and submerged in boiling water and left to 

 cook the required length of time to insure its contents keeping. The' 

 length of time required to properly cook the contents of the can varies 

 from six minutes for strawberries to five hours for sweet corn, in order 

 that the heat may thoroughly destroy the germs that produce 

 fermentation. 



In canning peaches, pears, strawberries and raspberries, a syrup 

 made by dissolving granulated sugar in water is used to fill in after the 

 fruit is packed in the can. 



A weak salt brine is used for sweet corn, peas and string beans, just 

 enough being used to season to taste, but no other preservative of any 



