INSPECTION OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CANNERIES. 25 



and fresh water is added to the vat. The water is changed about 

 every 12 hours until all the lye is washed off. At this point the salt- 

 ing of the olives is begun by introducing them into a solution of brine 

 of gradually increasing strength of about 1, 2, and 4 per cent salt. 

 The complete operation requires from three to four weeks' time. The 

 olives are soaked about two days in each of the different solutions, 

 after which they are canned in a 3 or 4 per cent brine and sterilized. 

 The inspection should determine whether the olives labeled as ripe 

 are fully ripe. If the olives are held in brine solution before can- 

 ning, examine for evidence of bad fermentation and objectionable 

 odors. If minced olives, olive paste, or similar products containing 

 minced olives are made, pay particular attention to the quality of 

 olives entering the product. Ascertain especially the temperature 

 used in sterilization and the periods of time employed for the pack- 

 ages of various sizes and what factory means are used for tempera- 

 ture control. Pickling rooms should be free from mashed and 

 spoiled olive litter; the floors should be clean and so constructed 

 that they may be kept so. Are the vats free from scum or filth and 

 do any of the'm contain spoiled, mushy, or soft olives ? What dispo- 

 sition is made of the spoiled and damaged olives ? Are they removed 

 to a safe distance from the factory ? 



PEACHES. 



While peaches are grown in nearly all parts of the United States, 

 most of the canned peaches come from California and Georgia. 

 Some varieties of this fruit are not suitable for canning. The fol- 

 lowing varieties are canned : Foster, Muir, Lovell, Salway, and Yel- 

 low Free or Yellow Crawford, all of which are freestone peaches, 

 and Phillips, Tuscan, Johnson, Walton, and Albright Cling, all 

 of which are clingstone varieties. Peaches should be canned as 

 soon after picking as possible. They are first pitted and then peeled 

 by hand, by lye, or by slipping the skins. Nearly all the peaches 

 canned in California are lye peeled. They are carried on belt con- 

 veyors through a peeling lye solution containing from one-half to 1 

 pound of concentrated lye to a gallon of water, then through several 

 automatic washing machines containing cold water. To prevent 

 darkening of the product and to make the fruit more flexible, so 

 that a better fill can be obtained, peaches are heated or blanched for 

 a few minutes. Blanching, however, is unnecessary if the peel has 

 been removed by lye peeling or slipping the skins. 



After being halved, the peaches are passed over a series of grading 

 screens having meshes If, If, 2, 2J, and 2f inches, respectively, in 

 diameter, which divide the fruit into six sizes, those passing through 

 the 2f-inch mesh constituting the highest grade. Overripe and 



