FACTORY OPERATIONS. 19 



SMI in ' BUM M the pea, and only the very large ones are removed by 

 the graders. During the last season experiments were made in 

 removing the thistle tops by the specific gravity system, and it was 

 found that more than 90 per cent of them would float in a light brine 

 (having a den-ity of 1.020), while only a small percentage of the 

 pea- limited in sueh a solution. It is evident, therefore, that instead 

 of employing hundred- of girls to perform this work, more than 90 

 pei- cent of the to| could 1 >e collected in less than 10 per cent of the 

 peas. The reduction of the tedious hand labor by such a method 

 i- apparent. Tin-,- testa \\ere made too near the close of the season 

 to be completed. lmt -uilicient work was done to demonstrate the 

 correct iie-- of the principle. The work can also be very materially 

 reduced ly -eparating the thi-ile- from the vines at the vining 

 machine. 



r.i. \M HI\<.. 



There are two object- in blanching peas: (1) To remove the mu- 

 cou- -ul>-tance i'mm the mitsidc and a part of the green coloring 

 matter. BO U to ha\ a dear liquor in the can; and (2) to drive water 

 into the pen- >o that all will be tender. 



In the young, juicy pea. the \\ater content is at its maximum, so 

 that the cleaning of the -urface i- all that is necessary. The time 

 required I'm- blanehing i- from one-half to one minute for No. 1 and 

 \". _', or "petit- poi-" and "extra -ifted:" one and a half minutes 

 for No. 8, or " aifted ; " two minntei for No. -t, or " early June; " and 

 t\\o and one-half minute- for No. :>. or "marrowfat" peas. To get 

 the hc-i molts, petfl which are very old and hard will need a blanch 

 approximately the times as long as young peas of the corresponding 

 grade, while tho-e in the intermediate stages will require a blanch 

 proportional to their development. 



It i- evident, therefore, that among peas that are good, but un- 

 graded M to quality, there will be a greater or les^ number which 

 will be hard because of under blanching, and some above size because 

 of -welling during the blanching and after processing. There is no 

 part of the work of canning peas which requires so much judgment 

 ;i- that of blanching if the best quality of goods is to be obtained. 

 Much of the very cheap goods upon the market are made so because 

 of following -rule of thumb" methods in this department. The 

 division of peas into grades for quality as w^ell as for size will 

 simplify -omewhat the problem as to the length of time that blanch- 

 ing should be continued, but not to the point of making the position 

 of blancher one of secondary importance in the canning factory. 



Experiments were made to determine the effect of varying periods 

 of blanching on the different >i/es and grades of peas and the influ- 

 ence exerted on -welling, tenderness, color of the liquor, and fill of 



