COMMERCIAL CANNING OF FOODS. 5 



One of the marked contrasts between the newer and older construction is the pro- 

 vision for plenty of light. Light has a beneficial effect upon employees, contributes 

 to cleanliness, and is an active, constant disinfectant. High ceilings and proper roof 

 construction usually render artificial ventilation unnecessary, but if mechanical 

 measxires are employed, a blower system with provision for cleaning the air is to be 

 preferred to suction. An abundance of light and air is a combination which will 

 contribute to the maximum of labor efficiency. 



A tight, hard floor is a necessity, and in all rooms where manufacturing processes 

 are conducted it should be pitched about IJ inches for each 10 feet. The pitching 

 should have special reference to the position of machines and tables where there will 

 be more or less water or waste, so that this may be confined and the floors be flushed 

 clean and kept reasonably dry with the minimum of labor. There should be frequent 

 trap connections with the sewer. The kind of material best adapted for a floor will 

 depend in a measme upon whether it is to be used for dry work and storage or whether 

 water is employed more or less freely. Factories having a short packing season, as 

 in the case of tomato canning, find concrete to be the best. Wood shrinks, swells, 

 and cracks with changes of moisture; the cracks are hard to clean, leakage is almost 

 certain to occur, and these conditions become aggravated in factories which are idle 

 a part of the time. Wood with a smooth covering, such as sheet roofing, makes a 

 good floor, but will not last long. Concrete is more or less porous, wears rough, and 

 is not an ideal floor, but is the best for certain conditions. Asphalt wears away and 

 crumbles too easily. Upper floors should not be chosen for food preparation if plenty 

 of ground space is available, for the reason that it is difficult to keep them tight. 

 Furthermore, the work can be supervised to better advantage on one floor than on 

 many, imless the departments are so large as to demand a superintendent in each. 

 Conveyers can be obtained to handle products from one machine to another, and these 

 are more easily kept clean than are floors. Conveyers and overhead tracks should be 

 used in handling the product as far as is possible, in preference to trucks, as the latter 

 are destructive of floors and are not so clean. 



The use of slat gratings to cover the floor about the kettles or other places where 

 there is a splashing or overflow of water is especially to be commended. These 

 may be made in sections about 2 by 4 feet, and can be taken up for cleaning. There 

 is no excuse for floors being so wet or sloppy that the workers must wear rubbers, 

 which is sometimes the case. All side walls, partitions, ceilings, and supports should 

 be smooth, to admit of easy cleaning. Preferably they should be light-colored and, 

 as far as possible, of such material as can be washed with a hose, as this is the easiest 

 method oi cleaning or of applying whitewash. Some factories need to be divided by 

 partitions to prevent unnecessary heating by steam from the cookers. In other cases 

 the room where the material ready for the can is kept should be separated from the 

 tcxjixm in which the preparation is going on, in order to protect it from dust. That 

 part of the factory in which pre]>ared material is in any way exposed should be 

 fcreened tfj keep out flies and dust. This j^recaution is often of greater im])ortance 

 than the protection of the workroom, as during the working period the moving of 

 machinery and escaping steam will drive away insects. 



The tables used in the preparation of foods should be plain and of a material that is 

 easily cleaned. There should be no sharp angles or grooves where waste can accumu- 

 late, nor any places beneath where material can be stored. Hardwood, such as maple 

 or a«h, in proliubly the best material for the majority of factcjries. These woods will 

 absorb little water or juices, they show soil (juickly, and clean easily with soap, water, 

 and Hf-rul^bing brush. Opal glass or jjorcelain makes excellent table tops, but is 

 exiHinaive. Knurnel-coat<id metal has come into use, and under certain ronditionH 

 lfiv(« excellent resultw. The important point is that the tables may be clcaticd 

 easily, and that it be done <jften. The machinery used hIioiiM b(t of the most sanitary 

 type and set in such a manner aw Uj be acc.eHsible from all sides for cleaning. Con- 



