COOPERATIVE MILK-DISTRIBUTING PLA]SrTS. 9 



a large plant of about two to three stories, so that the milk may flow 

 by gravit}^ from the various pieces of equipment in the plant. There 

 is very little advantage in having a plant of greater height than two 

 and one-half or three stories unless the site is very expensive. 

 The labor required to operate a plant of several stories is usually 

 considerably greater than in a lower building because of the ne- 

 cessity of having a foreman for each floor. Small plants may be only 

 one story high, and one-story buildings can often be remodeled into a 

 satisfactory milk plant with less labor required for their operation 

 than in the case of a two-story plant. 



ARRANGEMENT OF THE PLANT. 



The rooms in the plant should be divided and laid out so that the 

 plant operations can be carried on with the minimum of labor and 

 machinery, and so that the milk may be handled in a sanitary manner. 

 Plans should be drawn by a competent architect, showing the layout 

 of the rooms and the location of the machinery and equipment. These 

 plans should be carefully studied, and before the final arrangement 

 is decided they should be submitted to the local health officials for 

 approval. 



RECEIVING ROOM. 



The milk-receiving room should be separate from the other rooms 

 and should be well screened to keep out flies. This room should 

 be located so that the milk may be conveniently received direct from 

 the producers' trucks. The floor of the receiving room should be on 

 a level with the floor of the ordinary truck. A convenient arrange- 

 ment is to have the floor of this room elevated about 3 or 4 feet, so 

 that the milk may be readily received and dumped into the weigh 

 can, from which it may flow by gravity to a receiving vat. If this 

 is not feasible, the receiving vat may be lowered below the floor 

 level. The receiving room should contain scales, weigh can, sample 

 jars, etc. In the receiving room or in an adjoining room facilities for 

 properly washing and sterilizing the cans should be provided, so 

 that the cans may be returned to the producers in good condition. 

 Apparatus of ample size should be provided for cleansing the cans 

 quickly and thoroughly. 



WASHING AND STORAGE ROOMS FOR BOTTLES. 



The bottle-washing room should be so located that the empty 

 bottles can be received as conveniently as possible from the delivery 

 wagons. This room should be of ample size to provide space for the 

 bottle -washing machine and plenty of room for the workmen. Where 

 the bottles are held for a time before washing, the room must be 

 108510°— 22 2 



