ae bol es” 
> 
SRE NES SS 
COMMERCIAL CANNING OF FOODS. 63 
been the custom generally to grow the pumpkins with the corn, but a few canners 
find that a more satisfactory yield and a far more uniform quality are obtained by 
growing in the open field as a special crop. 
The pumpkins are carefully selected, stemmed, and well washed to remove any 
adherent dirt. They are cut into large pieces, either by knives or roller disks, and 
are subjected to a general washing in a heavy squirrel cage, the principal object being 
to remove the seeds and loose fiber. The pumpkins are then put into large iron 
crates and cooked in the retort until soft, which requires about 20 minutes at 240° 
F.; they are next run through a cyclone, which removes the hard part of the skin and 
the tough fiber. The pulp proper is cooked very little if it is of a good consistency, 
but if light or thin it is evaporated until it is of the right body. It is filled into 
cans while hot, sealed at once, and processed at 250° F. for 90 minutes. 
Some packers cut the pumpkins in halves and peel and core with special revolving 
knives. This necessitates considerable extra hand work, but is particularly advan- 
tageous when the pumpkins do not ripen uniformly. It does not have any apparent 
advantage over the direct-heating method if the raw material is of uniformly good 
quality. 
Pumpkin is packed almost exclusively in No. 3 cans, which should be enamel lined, 
so as to prevent action on the tin, and also to aid in the retention of good color and 
flavor. 
A good can of pumpkin when opened should be filled within one-half sth of the top; 
should be fairly heavy, smooth, evenly screened, free from fiber, and uniformly colored. 
A can lacking an inch or more of being full, psstigt nites coarse, fibrous, or thin and 
watery tissue, is not a first-class article and is short weight. A No. 3 can should con- 
tain at least 33.5 ounces. 
Squash (Cucurbita ovifera) is grown and handled in the same way as pumpkin. 
RHUBARB (RHEUM RHAPONTICUM). 
Rhubarb is grown in fields, in rows 4 feet apart and hills about 2 feet apart in the 
rows, and cultivation is the same as for potatoes. The soil must be rich to givea luxu- 
riant growth. The rhubarb is harvested when the leaf stems are of large size, which 
may be at any time from the middle of May until the middle of August. 
In harvesting the best stalks are selected, the small or undesirable ones being left 
to take care of the plant. The pulled Slee are made into bundles; the leaf and butt 
are then cut off and the stems placed in crates to be hauled to the factory. The haul- 
ing is done in the same way as in the case of tomatoes. 
At the factory the rhubarb is washed in large tanks of running water and at the 
same time inspected for any imperfections. The next step is the cutting, which is 
accomplished by means of a series of small saws set 1 inch apart on a shaft. The 
rhubarb is laid on a carrier, which feeds each stalk crosswise to the saw. The pieces 
ready for the can are therefore 1 inch in length and the size of the stem. The cans 
are filled by means of a string-bean filler, and as much is put in as can be shaken below 
the level of the rim. Hot water is added to fill the interspaces. 
The practice in some factories differs in some particulars from that given here. 
First, in that the stems are stripped or peeled before being cut, and second, in that 
the rhubarb is heated in a preserve kettle before filling into the can. In the latter 
case only a very small quantity of water is used, as in the cooking sufficient juice is 
extracted to furnish part of the liquor in packing. This style of pack is put up in 
No. 3 and No. 10 cans. The former is put up only in No. 10 cans for pie purposes. 
The process is 13 minutes at boiling temperature. The difference in the quantity of 
rhubarb which will go in a No. 2 can in the raw state and blanched is as 250 grams to 
400 grams. The action of rhubarb on tin and enamel is very severe, so that this 
product can not be made to keep indefinitely in such cans. 
