THE CANNING INDUSTRY FROM THE GROWER'S 



STANDPOINT 



S. J. Cook 



Secretary-Treasurer of South Shore Growers' and Shippers' Association, 

 Silver Creek, Chautauqua County, N. Y. 



The growing of fruit and vegetables for 

 preserving and canning in the United 

 States and Canada has, in the last ten 

 years, become an important industry. 

 Hundreds of factories have been erected 

 in many states, and hundreds of thous- 

 ands of acres are devoted each year to the 

 growing of canning crops. There were 

 packed in the United States in 1914 ap- 

 proximately 25,000,000 cases of the three 

 vegetables — corn, peas and tomatoes- — 

 and approximately 4,500,000 cases in Canada. These, coupled 

 with other important vegetables, such as string beans, beets, as- 

 paragus and kraut — to say nothing of the berries of all kinds, 

 and other tree crops — give one an idea of the magnitude of the 

 canning industry in this country. 



All manner of men are engaged in the undertaking, and there 

 are all kinds of canning factories — from the cheaply constructed 

 shed to the enormous, up-to-date, sanitary establishments con- 

 structed of concrete, brick and iron, covering acres, and capitalized 

 by large corporations with millions at stake. No industry has 

 made greater advancement in the manufacturing of its products. 

 Inventors, expert machinists and manufacturers have designed and 

 perfected the most modern machinery for the manufacture of 

 canned products. A few of the larger preservers and canners 

 manufacture their own bottles and cans. There is also great im- 

 provement in the matter of sanitation ; likewise in the quality of 

 the finished products. Many of the larger plants invite public 

 inspection. 



Much publicity has been given the merits of canned fruits, which 



has had a tendency to increase the consumption. A large part of 



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