BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 33 



It is beyond the realm of this volume to furnish detailed speci- 

 fications and plans for the construction of condensed milk factories. 

 Such information would be of comparatively little value, as such 

 details must of necessity vary with locality, capacity of prospective 

 plant, type of equipment, system of operation and preferences of 

 individual owners. Such details are best decided on and worked 

 out for each individual factory separately and when needed. There 

 are a few fundamental principles, however, which apply to all fac- 

 tories and to which attention may be briefly called here. 



Floors, Walls and Ceilings. Stone, brick, concrete, concrete- 

 steel, according to availability, are satisfactory materials of which to 

 construct a condensery. Intersecting walls or partitions are best 

 constructed of similar material. If constructed of wood, they should 

 rest on concrete, brick or stone, built up at least two feet from the 

 floor, or the lower two feet of which partitions should be wains- 

 coated with an approved quality of cement plaster. 



All floors of the main building should be of cement, great care 

 being taken that the foundation of these floors be of uniformly 

 hard material, thoroughly tamped and avoiding soft spots. The 

 concrete bed should be at least four inches in depth, consisting of 

 one part of cement, two parts of sand and four parts of gravel. 

 The sand should be sharp building sand and the gravel should be 

 washed pebbles, ranging in size from one-half to one inch. The 

 top dressing should be not less than one inch thick, consisting of one 

 part of cement and one and one-half parts of sharp building sand. 

 It should be carried up on the walls and partitions at least two 

 inches, forming a sanitary cove. After finishing, the floors should 

 be allowed to harden for at least two weeks. This will greatly pro- 

 long their life. It is advisable to use some cement hardener such 

 as Master Builders' cement, or Lapidolith, etc., which will help to 

 make these floors more nearly wear-, water-, dust- and crack-proof. 

 It is difficult to keep the condensery in sanitary condition and to 

 protect the product against contamination, unless the floors of the 

 factory are and stay free from cracks and holes. 



Ventilation. A proper and effective system of ventilation is 

 another very important and too often entirely neglected factor in 

 the planning of the condensed milk factory. This applies to all 

 parts of the plant where work is being done, but it is especially 

 essential in rooms where free steam escapes. The ventilating sys- 



