CANNING SARDINES 125 
TaBsiE 9.—Examples of operating conditions employed in several California sardine 
driers, season 1922-23 







: Bit 
- < Drop in | x, se l= ae a 
Entering | ;- _| Velocity | Velocity of heat 
Plant air tem- te Fa in, feet | out, feet | Time in Ber cant Size of fish used per 
perature, through per per minutes a ei ht re pound 
°F. | drier, oF,| Minute | minute 18, of fish 
>» w. handled 
Ars Te 119 10 1, 360 904 28 3.8 | Large ‘‘ovals’”’______ 399 
Bees os 107 | 27 257 914 55 (ata haces (oso Se 190 
(OL aS ee 96 | 4 1, 676 781 35 gO Tal eee doten4 eet! 820 
Pies ats 120 | pe eee eee 519 70 (at{0) | eRe GOay- eer OFS se 5 556 
i ater 4 es 75 -10 1, 503 532 105 LOM Led OVals 722] on 
Py eee as 97 154 (GS. 488 120 Oss RLtee Gousy. teeid s Fal fl SAA. 
109 321 90 BEC fe eis CORSA AS AS et oR 
115 738 31 CxSelesmallssovals22. J2) 45) ee 
109 401 41 696) ee" (6 (0 pease ap EY ae |S Braver a 
101 | 12 Siy/t| Saas See 124 10.6 | Large ‘‘ quarter oils’”’ |_.________ 
102 6 1, 445 833 75 Gal bare ovals soe | enone mone 




1 Air for this drier was drawn from the fish-packing room. When these data were obtained, the dew 
point of the air entering the drier was 70° and the temperature of the fish entering the drier about 55°. The 
fish, therefore, had to be warmed in the drier to 70° before any drying took place. Had air from outside 
(the dew point of which was 55°) been used, drying would have commenced almost immediately. 
? Fan drew air through steam coils, then over fish. More air was drawn in through cracks in the housing 
of the drier than entered through the steam coils. 
’ Cross section of this drier gradually diminished in size from where air entered to where it left. Leakage 
was so great through the drier housing that only 10 per cent of the air reached the far end of the drier. 
4 Too little air for the quantity of fish handled. ay 
5 Fully 20 to 30 per cent of the air being sent through this drier escaped through an open space where it 
could do no good at all. 
6 The method of handling the fish in this drier permitted but little of the large amount of air being handled 
to strike the fish. 
These data on California sardine driers do not adequately describe 
conditions. They really are much worse than outlined, because 
account is not given here of wide variations in many other contributing 
factors. There are big opportunities for improvement in this field. 
These are covered in part in the next section, and the whole subject 
is thoroughly discussed later. 
A great many data were not collected on the operation of sardine 
driers in Maine. Enough installations were examined and sufficient 
information obtained, however, to show that the knowledge gained 
from the California experiments can be applied to improving pro- 
cedures and equipment in Maine. It is evident, too, that the oppor- 
tunities for betterment are large. This subject is taken up later. 
RAPID DRYING OF FISH BEFORE COOKING 
Some one of the widely varying sets of conditions made use of by 
the California canners in preparing fish for cooking must be better 
than the rest, when judged from the standpoint of cost and results 
obtained. It is possible, too, that some new set of conditions might 
even be better for the purpose. This proposition was studied and a 
way found in which to prepare fish for cooking in much less time, and 
consequently with less equipment than previously. This result can 
be obtained by using vigorous air circulation, combined with higher 
air temperatures, than have been used for this purpose. 
These conditions cause very rapid drying to take place. When 
they are used, however, it is necessary to shorten the drying period 
in order to prevent undesirable changes in the fish, such as softening 
and rendering of oil, due to the high air temperature used. 
