74 BULLETIX 106, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Adjoining the pot is a spiller, which is similar in construction, but of smaller size, 

 ha\'ing a tunnel or opening connecting the two. The fish pass from the pot to the 

 spiller and are taken out by the dip net or brailer, which is 12 by 12 feet and is cast and 

 drawn on board the boat by power, literally lifting out hundreds of fish at a time. They 

 are hurried to the factory as rapidly as possible, where they are unloaded upon the 

 dock by means of elevators or pews. 



It is the general practice to permit the fish to remain out of water in bins for 24 hours 

 before canning, as a certain amount of shrinkage takes place; otherwise there may be 

 excessive blowing of the juice on venting. The fish are washed free from slime or 

 gurry before they go to the butchering room. 



The dressing of the fish, or butchering as it is called, is done speedily, mostly by 

 machinery. The head and tail are sawed off on a band saw, where formerly they were 

 cut off ^Yith a cleaver. The fish is then fed into the "chink " tail fii'st and back down. 

 By the revolution of this wheel, the fins are removed by special knives, the body is 

 split open, the viscera torn out, and the interior wall scrubbed by revolving brushes. 

 The dressed fish is delivered into a tank of water, and the offal delivered with the 

 gurry. The iron chink does a better job than is done by hand, and is the most impor- 

 tant macliine in the canning of salmon. After the fish has been dropped into the tank 

 of cold water, it is scrubbed thoroughly with brushes until it is clean. 



The dressed fish is placed upon a special slitted elevator, which feeds it transversely 

 into a series of revolving disks, which cut it into lengths corresponding to the height of 

 the can. There are a variety of lengths used, but there are three which are standard; 

 the No. 1 tall, No. 1 flat, and the half pound. Seven knives are used in the gang 

 for cutting for tall cans, 13 knives for flat, and 17 knives for half-pound cans. 



The grading of the fish is done on the basis of solid and less desirable body cuts- 

 The fdling of the choice parts is done by hand, and each can weighed. The short 

 weights are supplemented by bits, but overweight is not reduced. Much of the filling, 

 especially of the less expensive cuts, is done by machinery. The cans used must all 

 be open top, and this is later either soldered or the joint made with a double seamer. 



The solder capping of the cans is different from that practiced in other packing. 

 First a piece of tin with the corners bent up is placed on the fish, then the can is set in a 

 machine which wipes the upper edge, after which the end is put in place, and the can 

 passed through another machine which crimps the end to the sides. This end con- 

 tains a small hole or tip. The can then rolls, head downward, into a V-shaped groove 

 which contains flux, and continues its rolling in another section of the groove con- 

 taining solder, and it is here that the final sealing is done. The heating of the con- 

 tents, due to the hot solder, causes some steam to be generated, and it is for the purpose 

 of allowing this to escape that the piece of tin is placed within and under the vent. 

 TMien the can leaves the soldering trough it is tiirned over and the vent closed or 

 tipped. With sanitary cans no tin nor vent is needed, the cap being attached and 

 sealed by machinery. 



The cans are then placed in trays, the standard size being 35 inches square and 3 

 inches deep. Each tray will hold 160 tall or 86 flat standard No. 1 cans, the cans being 

 on end in a single tier. The test for leaks is to set the tray in boiling water for a few 

 seconds and watch for bubbles. Eight trays make a basket, and this constitutes a 

 charge for the retort. 



The process consists of heating at 220° F. for 30 minutes, then taking out the fish, 

 venting, and retipping, and gi\ing a subsequent heating for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 

 250° F. '\Mien open- top cans are used, the filled cans are run through an exhaust box 

 very slowly so that they are thoroughly heated before the cover is attached. Venting 

 becomes unnecessary, but the time of cooldng remains unchanged — that is, the single 

 heating is equal to both periods under the old method. The hot cans are immersed 

 in lye to remove gi-ease and oil and are then cooled in water. The net weight of the 

 1-pound tall or flat can should average 16 ounces. 



