SANITARY CONTROL OF TOMATO-CANNING FACTORIES. 17 



lighting should be so arranged that the shadows of the workmen do 

 not fall upon the table. The walls and ceiling of the sorting room or 

 shed should be painted white or whitewashed. 



SELECTION OF SORTERS. 



Greater care should be exercised in the selection of sorters than in 

 the selection of any of the other laborers connected with the manu- 

 facture of tomato products. Some packers apparently have made 

 the mistake of thinking that anyone who was not definitely employed 

 elsewhere was good enough for sorting. Sorters, however, should be 

 men or women (women usually have proved more satisfactory) old 

 enough to be responsible and dependable, young enough to be still 

 active and energetic. Young people not thoroughly responsible should 

 under no conditions be intrusted with this important work. More 

 harm can be done by one or two careless persons at the sorting apron 

 than almost anywhere else in the plant. 



The work is of a kind that requires perhaps closer attention 

 and application than any other work about the plant, and might well 

 be called " skilled labor," since efficiency in producing the best results 

 comes from practical experience. Because of the close attention 

 required of the workers it is one of the most fatiguing operations 

 about the plant, and it is believed that a small bonus per hour to the 

 persons selected to do this work would serve as an incentive to more 

 painstaking work. In some factories visited, however, the sorters 

 were paid only half or two-thirds as much per day as the peelers. 

 Such shortsightedness in factory management is certain to lead to 

 dissatisfaction and carelessness. 



Because of the fatiguing character of the work, it would be wise 

 where feasible to work the sorters in shifts of not over three hours 

 each. The sorting should be superintended by a person who has 

 proved himself highly efficient in that line of work or by one who is 

 alert and has a discriminating mind and is able to handle workmen 

 tactfully. 



Where the simple apron system is used it is best to place the most 

 efficient sorters last, in order that the final inspection may be made 

 the most critical. 



VOLUME SORTED. 



The volume of tomatoes handled by one sorter is dependent upon 

 several factors, among which the most important are the condition 

 of the tomatoes, the system of sorting used, and the efficiency and 

 experience of the sorter. With average stock it is impracticable to 

 get good results by the table system if the tomatoes are delivered at 

 a rate of more than 5 to 8 bushels per sorter per hour. With the 



