SANITARY CONTROL OF TOMATO-CANNING FACTORIES. 11 



rinsing after sorting, even though the principal washing has been 

 done before sorting. 



SORTING SYSTEMS. 



The various sorting systems in operation may be designated as 

 (a) table, (b) simple apron, and (c) divided apron. These systems 

 are not kept entirely distinct, however, but frequently overlap in one 

 particular or another. 



(a) In the typical table system the tomatoes are dumped upon a 

 stationary table or sorted directly from the crate or basket. The 

 tomatoes are picked out by the sorters who are stationed around the 

 table, and after being examined are tossed into suitable containers, 

 from which they are emptied from time to time into the washers. 

 The decayed tomatoes or parts thereof are removed and rejected. 

 One advantage of this system is that by examining the sorted stock 

 in each container the efficiency of the individual sorters can be de- 

 termined more readily than by any of the other systems. As a rule 

 it is a fairly effective system, but usually is more expensive than any 

 of the others. 



(b) In the simple apron conveyor system the tomatoes are placed 

 upon a slowly moving, horizontal apron which carries them along 

 in front of the sorters, who are supposed to remove all tomatoes that 

 are entirely or partially decayed. Those not picked out constitute 

 the stock finally used in the manufacturing process. By this system 

 the tomatoes theoretically are subjected to as many inspections as 

 there are sorters to the apron. With good sorters and where proper 

 conditions of feed, rate of movement, and lighting are maintained this 

 is practically true, but emphasis must be laid upon the observance of 

 these details if satisfactory results are to be attained. 



Under normal conditions, where proper attention is given to details 

 of feeding and lighting, the apron conveyor system .has been found 

 to yield as good results as any that has been devised. This is true 

 for two reasons. In the first place, only those tomatoes that have 

 decayed parts need to be picked up and taken out. During the last 

 two seasons more than 100 tests were made on the unsorted stock in 

 about 30 different factories in various parts of the tomato-producing 

 sections east of the Mississippi River. These tests have shown that 

 from 0.4 per cent to 81 per cent by number of the tomatoes were 

 decayed, in whole or in part, to such an extent as to require trimming 

 or total rejection. The average by number was about 25 per cent. 

 This means that in an average bushel 1 of tomatoes 58 must be re- 

 moved and rejected either in whole or in part. 



The second advantage of this sj'stem is that if one of the sorters is 

 inexperienced or becomes a little lax in the work the fault is more 



1 The average number of tomatoes per bushel as determined by 174 tests made in 1916 

 was 229. 



