UTILIZATION OF WASTE SEED FROM THE TOMATO. 27 



Table IX.-— Operating costs of assembling and drying seed at a utilization 

 center and at the pulping plants. 



Cost. 



Prying 

 center. 



Pulping 

 plant. 



Depreciation 



Labor (including shipping). 



Power 



Management 



Assembling (average) 



Total 



59, 250 



11, 152 



4,000 



1,175 



25, 994 



$4, 900 

 16,800 

 4,200 

 1,175 

 7,806 



51,571 



34, 881 



EQUIPMENT FOR EXPELLING THE OIL. 



The same building which housed the cleaning and drying ma- 

 chinery during the pulping season could be equipped with oil ex- 

 pellers for crushing the seed during the winter months. For such 

 a plant the following equipment would be necessary : 



5 expellers, 1 sump tank, 2 conveyors, 1 filter press, 2 

 grinding mills, 3 pumps, 2 tanks, piping, and miscella- 

 neous. The estimated cost is $30, 000 



The operating cost for expelling the oil from 1,000 tons of dry 

 seed, with the depreciation cost of the machinery and the labor and 

 power charges at current rates, is as follows : 



Depreciation of the plant, at 10 per cent $3, 000 



Labor (1 mechanic, 1 engineer, 1 fireman, 2 laborers, and 1 



foreman) 6,100 



Power (600 tons of coal at $8 per ton) 4, 800 



Management (manager at $3,500, clerk at $1,200) for 9 



months 3, 525 



Total 17, 425 



The installation of a solvent-extraction plant would probably cost 

 about the same as an expeller plant, namely, $30,000. 



The operating cost of extracting 1,000 tons of dry seeds is esti- 

 mated to be as follows : 



Depreciation of the plant, at 10 per cent 3, 000 



, Labor 6, 100 



Power (500 tons of coal at $8 per ton) 4,000 



Management 3, 525 



Total 16,625 



The above operating costs for both expeller and solvent extraction 

 are perhaps rather high, since the figures are based on the output of 

 tomato seed only and represent but a comparatively short period of 

 time, the equipment being idle for a large portion of the year unless 

 something else, such as grape seed, pumpkin seed, or some other 

 oleaginous material, can be worked during this idle period. In the 

 event that other materials were worked, the overhead cost would be 

 reduced accordingly and the profits augmented proportionately. 



