SANITARY CONTROL OF TOMATO-CANNING FACTORIES. iy 
lhghting should be so arranged that the shadows of the workmen do 
not fall upon the table. The walls and ceiling of the sorting room or 
shed should be painted white or whitewashed. 
SELECTION OF SORTERS. 
Greater care should be exercised in the selection of sorters than in 
the selection of any of the other laborers connected with the manu- 
facture of tomato products. Some packers apparently have made 
the mistake of thinking that anyone who was not definitely employed 
elsewhere was good enough for sorting. Sorters, however, should’ be 
men or women (women usually have proved more satisfactory) old 
enough to be responsible and dependable, young enough to be still 
active and energetic. Young peoplenotthoroughly responsible should 
under no conditions be intrusted with this important work. More 
harm can be done by one or two careless persons at the sorting apron 
than almost anywhere else in the plant. 
The work is of a kind that requires perhaps closer attention 
and application than any other work about the plant, and might well 
be called “ skilled labor,” since efficiency in producing the best results 
comes from practical experience. Because of the close attention 
required of the workers it is one of the most fatiguing operations 
about the plant, and it is believed that a small bonus per hour to the 
_ persons selected to do this work would serve as an incentive to more 
painstaking work. In some factories visited, however, the sorters 
were paid only half or two-thirds as much per day as the peelers. 
Such shortsightedness in factory management is certain to Jead to 
dissatisfaction and carelessness. 
Because of the fatiguing character of the work, it would ke wise 
where feasible to work the sorters in shifts of not over three hours 
each. The sorting should be superintended by a person who has 
proved himself highly efficient in that line of work or by one who is 
alert and has a discriminating mind and is able to handle wor'tmen 
tactfully. : 
Where the simple apron system is used it is best to place the most 
efficient sorters last, in order that the final inspection may be male 
the most critical. 
VOLUME SORTED. 
The volume of tomatoes handled by one sorter is dependent upot 
several factors, among which the most important are the condition 
of the tomatoes, the system of sorting used, and the efficiency and 
experience of the sorter. With average stock it is impracticable to 
get good results by the table system if the tomatoes are delivered at 
a rate of more than 5 to 8 bushels per sorter per hour. With the 
