224 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



make depends upon several factors, such as the grade, size, and con- 

 sequent proportion of waste in pits and skins, closeness of the pack in 

 the cans, etc. Most estimates, however, place the quantity at from 

 18 to 20 No. 3 cans per bushel for fruit that is of good size and grade. 



Preparing the Fruit for the Cans. The first steps in preparing 

 the fruit for the cans are to remove the skins and pits. All grades 

 for table use should be made up of peaches that have been halved, 

 the division being made through the suture. The halving is done 

 in connection with the removal of the pits. 



If done by hand it matters little with freestone varieties whether 

 paring is done first, followed by halving and pitting, or vice versa. 

 But with clingstone varieties a finished product of probably finer 

 appearance can be produced if the fruit is halved and pitted before 

 it is pared. The tight gripping of the halves, which is necessary in 

 removing the pits, may result in the flesh being more or less bruised 

 and crushed unless the skin is allowed to remain in order to give 

 some protection to the fruit. 



The paring, if by hand, is usually done with sharp straight- 

 backed knives, care being taken to remove only a very thin and even 

 peeling in order that the flesh of the fruit shall be smooth and at- 

 tractive in appearance. The pits of freestone varieties, after the 

 fruits are halved, may be removed with the point of a knife or with 

 the fingers. A pitting spoon is desirable for removing pits from 

 clingstones. 



Filling the Cans. The fruit should be put into cans as soon as 

 possible after the freshly cut surfaces have been exposed to the air. 

 Otherwise the surfaces turn dark and become unattractive in appear- 

 ance. Filling the cans with the table grades is generally done by 

 hand. The halves are put into the cans usually flat or pit side down, 

 each piece being placed with considerable care so that the contents of 

 the can will be fairly solid and to insure a uniform content as to 

 quantity of fruit in each can. The cans should be filled very nearly 

 full of the halved fruit. They are then ready for the next step. 



A boxlike device is sometimes used as a filler to facilitate the 

 work of putting pie peaches into No. 10 cans. This device has a 

 depth of 6 or 8 inches, and is constructed with holes in the bottom 

 which correspond with the holes in the tops of the cans when a par- 

 ticular number of them are arranged in a certain definite order. The 

 fruit is poured into the filler, from which it drops or is readily pushed 

 into the cans. 



Marketing the Canned Product. It is obvious that the financial 

 success of this method of handling a peach crop, or any portion of 

 it, depends upon the placing of it on the market at a satisfactory 

 profit. As a rule, home-canned goods, if of good quality, find a fairly 

 ready sale. They are commonly sold on sample to retail grocers and 

 provision dealers. Comparatively large quantities can frequently 

 be sold directly to consumers. A wisely placed advertisement in a 

 local or county paper may also help in making sales. If a large 

 quantity of fruit has been canned, it may be of advantage to sell 

 through a jobber or a broker who handles canned goods. 



