MAINE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 101 



shocks as they are made up often contain a quantity of sawdust, a 

 large part of which is contributed by the covers. When the covers 

 are nailed on and during subsequent handling the sawdust is shaken 

 into the cans, where it adheres to the thin coating of oil covering the 

 tin plate. When this oil dries, it is impossible to remove the adhering 

 dust and other dirt which may have accumulated. 



An effort should be made to improve these conditions. Placing the 

 cans in the shooks upside down — that is, with the bottoms facing the 

 cover of the shook — and keeping the shipping case in this position 

 afterwards will prevent the sawdust from entering the can. When 

 stored in the canneries the covered shooks should be in a dust and 

 dirt free place, or should be kept covered with material which will 

 prevent the entry of dust and dirt. 



SEALING THE CANS. 



In the course of the investigation many instances of improper 

 sealing were found. Unless the closest attention is given to the 

 machines of the first two types mentioned on page 10, particularly to 

 the adjustment of the rolls and the compression jaws, the cans are 

 but imperfectly sealed. It may be possible in the future to render 

 cans sealed in this way tight by providing them with gaskets or with 

 a preparation on the covers which will form a gasket, approximating 

 the seal obtained on the hermetically sealed soldered cans. A poorly 

 sealed can permits leakage of oil, as a result of which the product 

 may reach the consumer in a very unsightly condition, lacking in 

 some of the original food value, and sometimes with the contents 

 contaminated or spoiled. 



CLEANING THE CANS. 



The unattractive, unclean condition of packed cans has been a point 

 of severe criticism on the part of the wholesale and retail dealer, and 

 has done much to bring American sardines into disrepute. It is 

 caused by permitting the cans to leave the factories without having 

 been properly cleaned, or, if cleaned, so poorly sealed that oil can 

 leak over all the cans in the shook. 



As a rule, the cans of sardines are cleaned by shoveling them over 

 with sawdust or rolling them through sawdust (PI. VIII, fig. 1 ) . When 

 the cans are bumped and rattled about during shoveling or when 

 passed through revolving sawdust cleaners the fish, even if well 

 packed, become disarranged, and leaks often occur because of 

 dented seams. To prevent disarrangement of the contents those 

 packers who maintain a definite quality, and who take pains to place 

 the fish in the cans neatly, carefully clean the exterior of the cans 

 before shipping them. Cleaning the cans may be done mechanically 

 by passing them through a hot water bath containing soda lime and 

 rinsing them afterwards with hot water. 



