COMMERCIAL CANNING OF FOODS. 37 



The effect of sirup upon the fill of the can when 550 grams were used was as follows: 

 Berries water-packed, can lacked 1 inch of being full on the cut-out; 20° sirup, lacked 

 1 inch; 30° simp, lacked IJ inches; 40°, more than two-thirds full; 50°, about two- 

 thirds full; and 60°, somewhat less than two-thirds full; 450 grams, one-half full; 500 

 grams, two-thirds full or slightly less; 550 grams, two-thirds full; and 600 grams, to 

 within 1 inch of the top. The experimental pack for both years showed that the use 

 of 40° and 50° sirups gave the better results, there being a slight preference for the 

 latter. The berries preserved their identity, shape, texture, and color better than 

 in the sirups of lower degree and were not so much shi-unken or toughened as in 60°. 

 The flavor in 40° was mildly tart and in 50° it was sweet, but both were distinctive 

 of the fruit. The fruit packed in these sirups also stood shipping well. 



Cherries (Prunus cerasus). 



The cherr}', while largely grown for table purposes, is mainly obtained for canning 

 and preserving in California, Oregon, New York, and Michigan. Of the several 

 varieties used the Royal Anne is the most popular. A cherry to be well adapted for 

 canning should have a characteristic flavor, not strongly acid, should remain whole, 

 and not discolor in the can. It is a waste of good time and material to pack the 

 varieties with excessive pits, which split open, producing a flat, insipid flavor. 



Cherries should be delivered with the stems attached, in small or shallow boxes, 

 as for the retail trade. They should be stemmed and washed. If they are to be 

 graded for size, they are passed over screens having perforations of 22, 24, 26, 28, 

 and 32 thirty-seconds of an inch. The cherry may or may not be pitted. Some 

 prefer the unpitted fruit because of the flavor. Since the development of good 

 pitting machines and the lessening of hand labor, however, the percentage of pitted 

 fruit is becoming much higher. The mechanical pitters are based upon the principle 

 of holding the cherry in a cup and thrusting a cutting plunger through it, thus forcing 

 out the pit. They all lacerate the fruit more or less, but not more than hand pitting. 

 For the latter a special scoop or pitting spoon is used, being inserted in the stem end 

 to draw out the pit. A small handle bearing three wire points about an inch in length 

 arranged in the form of a triangle just large enough to hold a pit makes a good instru- 

 ment. It is forced through the cheny, driving the pit out at the stem end. The 

 holes made in puncturing are small and scarcely noticeable after processing. After 

 pitting, the fruit should be kept in thin layers until placed in the can. The quantity 

 should be weighed for each can, 1 ounce more being allowed for pitted than for unpit- 

 ted fruit in a No. 2 can. The sirup used should not be heavy on Royal Anne or 

 cherries of a similar type, as a heavy sii-up of 50° or 60° causes a marked slirinkage. 

 A simp up to 30° causes very little shrinkage and gives about all the sweetness that 

 the pnxluct will stand without injuring the flavor. The 40° sirup causes some shrink- 

 age in pitted fruit, but not much in wliolo fruit which is firm at the time of canning. 

 In the experimental work it was foun<l that the rate of heating had a great deal to do 

 with the shrinkage and tenderness of tli*; fruit. When 50° or G0° sirup, boiling, was 

 placed on the cherries and followed with a strong tliree-minutc exliaust, according 

 to general practice, the shrinkage was pronounced and the fruit toughened. When 

 the sirup was added at about 120° F. and heat gradually applied until it reached 190° 

 F. in 30 minutes, very little shrinkage took place and tlie fruit remained very tender. 

 The best results were obtained when about 45 minutes were given to the operation. 

 Much of the splitting can be avoided by the same practice. Some j)a(.kerH lieat 

 their cherries in the jarkeU-d kettle before canning, the ol)ject being to soften the 

 fruit with heavy sinip to get a bett^T fill. This is done to agn^ater (extent with rather 

 arid fruit than with the sweet. It has Bome advantages, but necessarily increases the 

 labor. 



