The tomatoes should be home-grown, of a red variety having the minimum
of yellow and purple color, be picked when ripe, and delivered to
the factory promptly without mashing. All tomatoes should pass over
an inspection table, the rotten and otherwise unfit fruit should be
discarded, and the green tomatoes should be returned to crates to
ripen. The stems should be removed when the best color is desired,
and the tomatoes should be thoroughly washed to remove dirt and mold.
Dumping a crate of tomatoes into a hopper of dirty water and playing a
gentle spray of water on part of them merely wets the skin and makes
them appear bright.
[Illustration: Fig. 2.--Large receiving room showing the sorting belt.]