EXTENT AND USE OF COLD STORAGE 



217 



rioration. Thus in the wartime mobilization of our industrial 

 resources an important place must be accorded to cold storage. 



Extent and Use of Cold Storage. It is very likely that the 

 United States leads the world in the number of cold storage ware- 

 houses (Figs. 42 and 43). There are approximately 1500 of such 

 warehouses in this country. There are three classes of cold storage 

 warehouses, namely: (1) public cold storage warehouses in which 

 food products are stored for hire, and the owner of the house is 

 not interested in the foods stored; (2) private cold storage ware- 

 houses, in which the owner of the house stores food products of 

 which he is the owner; (3) combined public and private ware- 



FIG. 42. Cold storage warehouse in Chicago. 



houses, in which the owner stores both his own commodities and 

 also the commodities of others. 



The chief products now subject to cold storage are the follow- 

 ing: apples, butter, cheese, eggs, frozen and cured meats and lards, 

 and fish (Figs. 44 and 45). The significance of cold storage is sug- 

 gested by the amount of meats in storage on June 1, 1919, namely, 

 1,348,000,000 pounds a 20 days' supply for the whole country. 

 These meats were on their normal course from producer, through 

 the packing houses, to the consumers, in the following manner: 



65 per cent: hams, bacon, etc. In process of curing (a 



process requiring from 30 to 90 days). 

 10 per cent: frozen pork. To be cured later in the year. 

 6 per cent: lard. 



19 per cent: frozen beef and lamb. In part owned by the 

 Government and intended for overseas shipment. 

 100 



