INSPECTION OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CANNERIES. 31 



maturity are canned at different times during the day as different 

 parts of the fields are harvested, the operator must make corre- 

 sponding changes in the time of blanching and in the quantity of 

 beans delivered to the cans. The very small green beans require 

 a short blanch, and, as they swell little during the final processing, 

 a larger quantity of them is needed to fill the can. Conversely, the 

 more mature white beans require a much longer blanch to attain 

 a maximum swell. A perfect fill can be secured with the all-green 

 beans in No. 2 cans, but it can seldom be reached with the white 

 beans in No. 10 cans. It is impossible for the operator to put up 

 a high-grade pack of beans without cutting the cans from time to 

 time during the day and adjusting the time of blanching and the 

 quantity delivered by the filler as changing conditions demand. 



BEETS. 



Beets are topped in the field and delivered in lug boxes to the 

 canneries where they are first washed in cold water and then passed 

 through a scalder. The roots are cut off and the outside skins are 

 removed by hand. After rewashing in cold water, the beets are 

 hand packed, whole, in slices, or in broken pieces, the slicing ordi- 

 narily being done by machines. The cans are passed through an 

 exhaust box for from 5J to 7^ minutes at a temperature of 212° F. 

 After a hot, weak brine solution is added, the cans are capped and 

 processed in a continuous agitating cooker for from 5 to 12 minutes, 

 according to the size of the can and the character of the beets. In 

 open cookers the time is proportionately longer. The canner aims 

 to secure a bright rather than dark color in the finished product. 

 The pack is graded as standards and seconds, the standard grade 

 being subdivided into large whole, medium whole, and small whole, 

 while seconds consist of pieces and broken slices. 



Inspectors should give attention to the raw material used, to the 

 fill of the can, and to the statement of the net weight. 



CARROTS. 



The tops are cut off in the field and the carrots are delivered to 

 the canneries in lug boxes. After being washed in cold water they 

 are either lye peeled or hand scraped, although some canneries run 

 them through two weak lye solutions instead of one strong solution. 

 They are then washed in cold water to remove the lye. The roots 

 are cut off and the eyes trimmed out, after which the carrots are 

 quartered, all by hand. They are then placed lengthwise in the 

 cans and packed tight. After a 5-J to 1\ minute exhaust at 212° F., 

 a hot brine is added and the cans are capped and processed in a 

 manner similar to that used for beets. They are graded as stand- 

 ards or seconds, the latter consisting of short lengths and pieces. 



