6 BULLETIlSr 196, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



veyers for fruits, tomatoes, and all other products should have automatic washers and 

 brushes in their course to keep them clean. The amount and kind of equipment 

 varies greatly, depending upon the product. Peas, corn, and beans require the most, 

 fruits the least. The details of the special requirements will be considered under 

 each product. Water and steam pipes, with hose attachment, should be conveniently 

 placed about the factory for cleaning tables, machines, floors, walls, and ceilings. 

 This is a necessary part of a modern equipment. 



Provision should also be made for the cleanliness and comfort of the employees. 

 Water should be placed at convenient places that the workers may wash their hands 

 often, and sanitary drinking fountains installed to take the place of the common cup. 

 A factory is not complete without proper toilet and clothes rooms. The toilet should 

 have facilities for washing the hands with soap and water and hand brushes should be 

 provided. There should be lockers for storing the outer clothes, as wearing apparel 

 should not be hung about the factory. Providing special suits and a manicurist are 

 refinements which are found at some factories and are not so much of an extravagance 

 as less progressive firms would argue. For factories running continuously and em- 

 ploying the same help uniforms are advantageous. For such operations as picking, 

 peeling, and pitting fruits, which may be done as well while sitting as standing, stools 

 should be provided. Standing all day at tables is more than tiring; it is exhausting 

 and decreases efficiency. This is clearly evident to every factory inspector, especially 

 after the season has advanced. The stool is to be preferred to the common bench, so 

 that the individual may stand or sit as may be most comfortable. If standing in one 

 place over cement floors is necessary, wooden springboards should be provided for 

 the restful effect upon the feet. The various States provide the general conditions 

 under which labor may be performed, as age limit, number of working hours in the 

 day or week, and physical condition. No person affected with a disease should be 

 employed in a food factory. 



METHODS AND PROCESSES. 



The steps in canning will vary with the product, but, in general, there are certain 

 processes which are common to all and may be described in this outline, as receiving 

 the product, grading, washing, preparing for the can, filling, exhausting, capping, 

 processing, and cooling. 



Raw Materials. 



The first requisite in all canning is that the product be delivered in first-class con- 

 dition, fresh from the fields or orchard, and in a manner to prevent injury. Fruits, 

 such as berries, must be handled in boxes as for the market, tomatoes in shallow crates, 

 com, peas, and beans in such quantities that they will not heat, and marine products 

 cold or chilled and in compartments to avoid bruising. The condition of the material 

 on delivery is of the gi-eatest importance, and for that reason the factory should be 

 located near the point of production, or, if shipment be made, it should be for only a 

 short distance and on a direct line. A cannery which depends upon long-distance 

 shipments or purchasing the supplies on a city market will generally be found to put 

 out an inferior article. In any delivery the seller should be held responsible for the 

 condition of the material; the grower has no more right to deliver decayed tomatoes 

 than the canner has to use and ship them. The first case is usually a violation of a 

 State law and should be dealt with accordingly; the second may be reached by Federal 

 statute if the shipment becomes interstate. 



Grading. 



The second step, that of grading or sorting for quality, is of great importance. A 

 general inspection or classification of all products is made by the foreman at the time 

 of receipt, but this is insuflBcient. The real grade of any product depends upon the 

 quality of the original stock rather than upon the sirup or brine added or any sub- 



