rn.NT.MNI.KS. 



25 



The most recent improvement in the tin can is the inside coating 

 or !;ic(|iM-riiiir. This type of can is known to the trade as the " enamel 

 lined " can. Various coatings have been tried at different times 

 without entire success, and while the present lining, is not perfect, 

 it does effect a ma HUM! improvement in many lines of packing. There 

 are fruits and vegetables which attack the tin coating with more or 

 less vigor, resulting in a loss of color, flavor, and quality, and at the 

 same time form salts of tin which are objectionable. The inside lac- 

 quered cans are especially effective in holding such articles as rasp- 

 berries, cherries, plums, beets, pumpkin, hominy, etc. They do not 

 add to such products as corn, peas, beans, tomatoes, or those which 

 have little action upon the tin. Inside coating is accomplished in 

 two ways by baking the lacquer on the sheet and by spraying it 

 on the inside of the finished can; further improvement in the con- 

 tainer may be expected along these lines. The tin can is made in a 

 great variety of sizes and shapes, but there are certain forms known 

 as standard. 



Sizes of standard cans. 



The size of package used for certain products is fixed by trade 

 custom and not by the needs of the consumer. For example, corn, 

 peas, beans, and such products are almost exclusively packed in No. 



2 cans, tomatoes in No. 3, and California fruits in No. 2J cans. The 

 No. 2 can of high-grade peas or corn contains about 22 ounces, or 

 too much for one service for a family of two, three, or four persons, 

 and with peas in particular the unused portion is not so good when 

 served a second time. A can holding 16 ounces would more nearly 

 meet the requirements. The same is true for a No. 3 can of tomatoes. 

 The excess is waste in many cases and represents not only good 

 material but the labor expended upon it, a larger can than is neces- 

 sary, and boxing and freight. These are all items which contribute 

 to cost and a consequent lessening of the use of canned foods. The 

 No. 2J can was developed as a short weight from the No. 3 and does 

 not adequately represent the interval in size between the No. 2 and the 

 No. 3. The No. 2J sanitary can holds only slightly less than the No. 



3 in the older style, as the latter can not be filled so nearly full and 



