58 BULLETIIsr 801^ U. S. DEPAETMEISTT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The chief objection to the iron-clad building is that in case of fire 

 the supporting framing is destroyed very quickly and the hot metal 

 sheets fall upon the cotton and thus prevent the effective applica- 

 tion of water. The result is that the amount of salvage from sucli 

 fires is very small. 



For some climates the iron-clad warehouse has a certain disad- 

 vantage from the standpoint of cotton storage because of the loss in 

 weight caused by excessive clrying-out in the great heat. This, how- 

 ever, is not an inevitable result as it depends upon the condition of 

 the cotton when deposited, the local climatic conditions, and the 

 period of the year during which the warehouse is used for cotton 

 storage. The field for this type of building may fee considered as 

 limited to the small countrj^ warehouse. 



AUXILIARY STRUCTURES. 



Most warehouse plants require other structures besides the ware- 

 house buildings. The number and character vary with the size of 

 the plant and the nature of the business. Such structures may in- 

 clude detached platforms and sheds, classing room, sample file room, 

 office, hose (or hydrant) house, pump house, and boiler house. Gen- 

 erally speaking, the type of construction used for these is independent 

 of that used for the warehouse itself, 



DETACHED PLATFORMS AND SHEDS. 



Detached platforms, either open or covered by sheds, afford great 

 convenience for receiving, weighing, and sampling cotton. The ex- 

 tent and arrangement depends on the arrangement of the plant and 

 whether or not receipts are from wagons or cars. In any event such 

 facilities should be ample from the standpoint of convenience to the 

 management and the public and should allow the adequate protection 

 of cotton from weather and fire. Consideration should be given to 

 the type of scales used for weighing and the methods of handling 

 ©mployed. 



Plai^forms may be constructed of concrete and may be either ele- 

 vated and of the reinforced concrete design, or may 'be simply a pave- 

 ment resting on the gTound or on an earth fill surrounded by low 

 retaining walls. The pavement is the less expensive usually. Such 

 platforms afford an excellent surface for trucking, present in them- 

 selves no fire hazard, and require practically no expenditures for up- 

 keep. If such construction is not feasible, heavy frame and planking 

 on the order of slow-burning construction may be used. In the latter 



