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COMMERCIAL CANNING OF FOODS. 37 
The effect of sirup upon the fill of the can when 550 grams were used was as follows: 
_ Berries water-packed, can lacked 1 inch of being full on the cut-out; 20° sirup, lacked 
“al inch; 30° sirup, lacked 1} inches; 40°, more than two-thirds full; 50°, about two- 
thirds full; and 60°, somewhat less than two-thirds full; 450 grams, one-half full; 500 
| grams, two-thirds full or slightly less; 550 grams, two-thirds full; and 600 grams, to 
| within 1 inch of the top. The experimental pack for both years showed that the use 
of 40° and 50° sirups gave the better results, there being a slight preference for the 
latter. The berries preserved their identity, shape, texture, and color better than 
_ in the sirups of lower degree and were not so much shrunken or toughened as in 60°. 
The flavor in 40° was mildly tart and in 50° it was sweet, but both were distinctive 
mot the fruit. The fruit packed in these sirups also stood shipping well. 
; CHERRIES (PRUNUS CERASUS). 
if 
The cherry, while largely grown for table purposes, is mainly obtained for canning 
_ and preserving in California, Oregon, New York, and Michigan. Of the several 
_ varieties used the Royal Anne is the most popular. A cherry to be well adapted for 
canning should have a characteristic flavor, not strongly acid, should remain whole, 
and not discolor in the can. It is a waste of good time and material to pack the 
varieties with excessive pits, which split open, producing a flat, insipid flavor. 
Cherries should be delivered with the stems attached, in small or shallow boxes, 
-as for the retail trade. They should be stemmed and washed. If they are to be 
eraded for size, they are passed over screens having perforations of 22, 24, 26, 28, 
and 32 thirty-seconds of an inch. The cherry may or may not be pitted. Some 
prefer the unpitted fruit because of the flavor. Since the development of good 
pitting machines and the lessening of hand labor, however, the percentage of pitted 
fruit is becoming much higher. The mechanical pitters are based upon the principle 
_ of holding the cherry in a cup and thrusting a cutting plunger through it, thus forcing 
L out the pit. They all lacerate the fruit more or less, but not more than hand pitting. 
_ For the latter a special scoop or pitting spoon is used, being inserted in the stem end 
to draw out the pit. A small handle bearing three wire points about an inch in length 
arranged in the form of a triangle just large enough to hold a pit makes a good instru- 
ment. It is forced through the cherry, driving the pit out at the stem end. The 
holes made in puncturing are small and scarcely noticeable after processing. After 
_ pitting, the fruit should be kept in thin layers until placed in the can. The quantity 
should be weighed for each can, 1 ounce more being allowed for pitted than for unpit- 
_ ted fruit in a No. 2 can. The sirup used should not be heavy on Royal Anne or 
. cherries of a similar type, as a heavy sirup of 50° or 60° causes a marked shrinkage. 
A sirup up to 30° causes very little shrinkage and gives about all the sweetness that 
the product will stand without injuring the flavor. The 40° sirup causes some shrink- 
age in pitted fruit, but not much in whole fruit which is firm at the time of canning. 
In the experimental work it was found that the rate of heating had a great deal to do 
with the shrinkage and tenderness of the fruit. When 50° or 60° sirup, boiling, was 
placed on the cherries and followed with a strong three-minute exhaust, according 
to general practice, the shrinkage was pronounced and the fruit toughened. When 
the sirup was added at about 120° F. and heat gradually applied until it reached 190° 
F. in 30 minutes, very little shrinkage took place and the fruit remained very tender. 
The best results were obtained when about 45 minutes were given to the operation. 
Much of the splitting can be avoided by the same practice. Some packers heat 
their cherries in the jacketed kettle before canning, the object being to soften the 
fruit with heavy sirup to get a better fill. This is done to a greater extent with rather 
acid fruit than with the sweet. It has some advantages, but necessarily increases the 
labor. 
