v M ; KTABLES. 51 



The pc;i IMM| for canning belongs to the garden variety. I* 'mum 

 xiitinini. of which then- are two general classes, early, or round 

 -month pea. and the wrinkled pea. The latter are much the sweeter. 

 The Little Gem and Alaska are typical of the first class, and Horse- 

 ford's Market Garden, Admiral, and Advancers of the second. 



The peas are generally sown upon good ground, well prepared. U 

 early in the spring as frost will permit, and no subsequent cultiva- 

 tion given (except in California). Instead of all being sown at one 

 time, the seeding is made to extend over several weeks, in order to 

 prevent too many maturing at one time. When the peas are well 

 grown and are still very tender, they are cut by mowing machines or 

 special pea harvesters, and are then loaded upon wagons and hauled 

 to the factory. Until a few years ago, the pods were picked from 

 the vines in the field and taken to the factory in baskets or bags. 

 This necessitated a very large force of men, women, and children in 

 harvesting, and added much to the cost of the product. There are 

 only a few factories in the United States which follow this method 

 at the present time, and it is limited to a part of the pack. 



The vining machine, which is used for separating the peas from 

 the pods while they are still on the vine, is a very simple and in- 

 genious device to accomplish a difficult task the shelling of the 

 tender pea so carefully that it will not be injured. It consists of a 

 large cylinder, perforated with many holes, which are large enough 

 to permit the peas to pass through, but not the vine. Within the 

 cylinder is a heavy shaft, bearing strong paddles or beaters. The 

 cylinder is made to revolve rather slowly and the beaters very rapidly, 

 in the oppos'ite direction. The vines are fed in at one end of the 

 cylinder, are carried upward by its motion, and fall upon the beaters, 

 which strike the pods, causing them to burst open and discharge the 

 peas. The peas roll out through the holes in the cylinder, and the 

 vines pass out the opposite end. The present yining machine is a 

 modification of the podding machine which was invented by Madam 

 Faure. It was the first important step in the development of the 

 pea-canning industry. 



The next step in the process is that of cleaning, and it consists of 

 two operations; first, that of passing the peas through a fanning 

 mill to remove pieces of pods, leaves, and dirt, and second, in wash- 

 ing, which is done in wire cylinders known as squirrel cages. These 

 cylinders are set on a slight incline and made to revolve slowly, 

 so that peas which enter at one end gradually roll out the opposite 

 end, and while doing so they are well sprayed with pure cold 

 water. After the washing, the peas are graded for size. This is 

 done by passing them over vibrating screens, which have holes of a 

 definite size, or through cylinders, with sections having perforations 

 corresponding to those in the screens. The perforations are standard 



