CANNING 507 
Process of Canning. The following pages on this topic are taken 
from the various publications of Bitting (1917, 1915, 1912): 
Raw Materials. These must be of first-class quality in order to 
secure a high-grade canned product. The canning factory should be 
located near the point of production in order to have the produce 
delivered in fresh and unharmed condition. Corn and peas lose their 
fresh appearance soor after harvesting. Beans become tough and 
stringy. The same may be said with regard to the canned fish industry. 
A recent type of fish cannery is constructed on a boat which is floated 
to the fishing grounds. 
Preparation. The procedure in this case depends solely on the 
product for obviously, the operations will depend on the food to be 
canned. As the produce is brought to the cannery it is roughly graded 
according to size, quality or maturity. These are handled separately. 
Some fruits need no more preparation than picking out foreign matter 
and effective material. Others need peeling, pitting, coring and sizing. 
Certain vegetables, on the other hand, require more preparation than 
the fruits. Peas must be threshed from the vines, corn cut from the 
cob, and string beans snipped and stringed. Most of this work is done 
by machinery. 
Grading. This is done to secure a uniformity of the product. 
Bitting regards this as having. been carried to excess when it is realized 
that there are ten or twelve grades of peas, fifteen to eighteen grades of 
peaches and ten grades of cherries. Grading for size is purely mechan- 
ical. The produce, when possible, is sifted through perforated cylinders, 
screens, vibrating rolls, etc. 
Washing. This is a thorough process in industrial canning. The 
packing of peas requires nearly 1 gal. of water for each can. 
Blanching. This is carried out for several reasons, depending upon 
the product. The object is not to whiten as the term would indicate. 
It may be to remove the sticky or gelatinous coating from beans, peas, 
etc., or to make more flexible and of uniform color as with cherries. 
Filling the Cans. Whether this is done by hand or machinery 
depends upon the product. Material like peas, squash, corn, beans, and 
hominy are put into the cans by machinery while such fruits as pears, 
peaches, must be put into the cans by hand in order to secure uniform 
filling of the cans. 
Siruping and Brining. Most canned foods have a sirup or brine 
added. The lowest grade products are packed in water. This brine 
may be either salt, sugar or a mixture of both depending upon the 
product. 
