If the average packer could see just how little of the inside surface of his 5–gal. cans is actually washed, he would be surprised. About fifteen seconds is sufficient time to spray the inside of the cans, and then the water valve can be closed and the steam valve turned on. The steam should be kept on for a full minute and kept on strong. The idea is not merely to heat the can but to sterilize it, at least to some degree, before the pulp is admitted. The average employee steaming 5–gal. cans leaves the steam on ten seconds at the most, and often not more than three seconds. Such a short steaming does very little good. The space of time between the steaming and filling should be just as short as possible. The employees should not be permitted to keep a half dozen cans steamed ahead all the time so that they are cold by the time the pulp enters them. Filling and Capping As stated in the previous chapter, the temperature of the pulp when it is filled should be at least 170 degrees F. and preferably above 180 degrees. The cans should be filled clear to the top with the pipe or hose which conducts the hot pulp from the finisher; they should not be topped off out of a dipper which contains luke warm pulp and is used for topping purposes. It is not necessary to do this topping and the practice should not be permitted. The sponges which are used for wiping the edges of the cap hole should be kept in a bucket of clean, hot water, and put back in the bucket after being used on a truckload of cans. The capping and tipping job should undergo inspection before the cans are trucked away. Handling Filled Cans Cans of filled pulp should be handled carefully. The cans should be set down easily, so as to strain the seams as little as possible. Of course the laborer wants to let go of cans of red-hot pulp just as quickly as possible, but it is not necessary to drop them several inches, and the employees should be taught to set the can on edge and then let its weight straighten it up. If the employee is given good thick gloves it is just as easy to handle the cans carefully. I had occasion at one time to check up on the percentage of swells resulting from one pile of pulp which was stacked by an old hand who knew how to handle pulp easily and carefully, and another pile from the same day’s run which was stacked by a gang of new and uninstructed help who simply picked the cans off the truck and dropped them in place. These were second-hand cans, and the difference was considerable.