6 BULLETIN 196, U. 8S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
veyers for fruits, tomatoes, and all other products should have automatic washers and 
brushes in their course to keep them clean. The amount and kind of equipment 
varies greatly, depending upon the product. Peas, corn, and beans require the most, 
fruits the least. The details of the special requirements will be considered under 
each product. Water and steam pipes, with hose attachment, should be conveniently 
placed about the factory for cleaning tables, machines, floors, walls, .and ceilings. 
This is a necessary part of a modern equipment. 
Provision should also be made for the cleanliness and comfort of the employees. 
Water should be placed at convenient places that the workers may wash their hands 
often, and sanitary drinking fountains installed to take the place of the common cup. 
A factory is not complete without proper toilet and clothes rooms. The toilet should 
have facilities for washing the hands with soap and water and hand brushes should be 
provided. There should be lockers for storing the outer clothes, as wearing apparel 
should not be hung about the factory. Providing special suits and a manicurist are 
refinements which are found at some factories and are not so much of an extravagance 
as less progressive firms would argue. For factories running continuously and em- 
ploying the same help uniforms are advantageous. For such operations as picking, 
peeling, and pitting fruits, which may be done as well while sitting as standing, stools 
should be provided. Standing all day at tables is more than tiring; it is exhausting 
and decreases efficiency. This is clearly evident to every factory inspector, especially 
after the season has advanced. The stool is to be preferred to the common bench, so 
that the individual may stand or sit as may be most comfortable. If standing in one 
place over cement floors is necessary, wooden springboards should be provided for 
the restful effect upon the feet. The various States provide the general conditions 
under which labor may be performed, as age limit, number of working hours in the 
day or week, and physical condition. No person affected with a disease should be 
employed in a food factory. 
METHODS AND PROCESSES. 
The steps in canning will vary with the product, but, in general, there are certain 
processes which are common to all and may be described in this outline, as receiving 
the product, grading, washing, preparing for the can, filling, exhausting, capping, 
processing, and cooling. 
Raw MATERIALS. 
The first requisite in all canning is that the product be delivered in first-class con- 
dition, fresh from the fields or orchard, and in a manner to prevent injury. Fruits, 
such as berries, must be handled in boxes as for the market, tomatoes in shallow crates, 
corn, peas, and beans in such quantities that they will not heat, and marine products 
cold or chilled and in compartments to avoid bruising. The condition of the material 
on delivery is of the greatest importance, and for that reason the factory should be 
located near the point of production, or, if shipment be made, it should be for only a 
short distance and on a direct line. A cannery which depends upon long-distance 
shipments or purchasing the supplies on a city market will generally be found to put 
out an inferior article. In any delivery the seller should be held responsible for the 
condition of the material; the grower has no more right to deliver decayed tomatoes 
than the canner has to use and ship them. The first case is usually a violation of a 
State law and should be dealt with accordingly; the second may be reached by Federal 
statute if the shipment becomes interstate. 
GRADING. 
The second step, that of grading or sorting for quality, is of great importance. A 
general inspection or classification of all products is made by the foreman at the time 
of receipt, but this is insufficient. The real grade of any product depends upon the 
quality of the original stock rather than upon the sirup or brine added or any sub- 
