MAINE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 101 
2 
shooks as they are made up often contain a quantity of sawdust, a 
large part of which is contributed by the covers. When the covers 
are nailed on and during subsequent handling the sawdust is shaken 
into the cans, where it adheres to the thin coating of oil covering the 
tin plate. When this oil dries, it is impossible to remove the adhering 
dust and other dirt which may have accumulated. 
An effort should be made to improve these conditions. Placing the 
cans in the shooks upside down—that is, with the bottoms facing the 
cover of the shook—and keeping the shipping case in this position 
afterwards will prevent the sawdust from entering the can. When 
stored in the canneries the covered shooks should be in a dust and 
dirt free place, or should be kept covered with material which will 
prevent the entry of dust and ditt. 
SEALING THE CANS. 
In the course of the investigation many instances of improper 
sealing were found. Unless the closest attention is given to the 
machines of the first two types mentioned on page 10, particularly to 
the adjustment of the rolls and the compression jaws, the cans are 
but imperfectly seaied. It may be possible in the future to render 
cans sealed in this way tight by providing them with gaskets or with 
a preparation on the covers which will form a gasket, approximating 
the seal obtained on the hermetically sealed soldered cans. <A poorly 
sealed can permits leakage of oil, as a result of which the product 
may reach the consumer in a very unsightly condition, lacking in 
some of the original food value, and sometimes with the contents 
contaminated or spoiled. 
CLEANING THE CANS. 
The unattractive, unclean condition of packed cans has been a point 
of severe criticism on the part of the wholesale and retail dealer, and 
has done much to bring American sardines into disrepute. It is 
caused by permitting the cans to leave the factories without having 
been properly cleaned, or, if cleaned, so poorly sealed that oil can 
leak over all the cans in the shook. 
As a rule, the cans of sardines are cleaned by shoveling them over 
with sawdust or rolling them through sawdust (PI. VIII, fig. 1). When 
the cans are bumped and rattled about during shoveling or when 
passed through revolving sawdust cleaners the fish, even if well 
packed, become disarranged, and leaks often occur because of 
dented seams. To prevent disarrangement of the contents those 
packers who maintain a definite quality, and who take pains to place 
the fish in the cans neatly, carefully clean the exterior of the cans 
before shipping them. Cleaning the cans may be done mechanically 
by passing them through a hot water bath containing soda hin and 
rinsing them afterwards with hot water. 
