116 MISC. PUBLICATION 5 4 0. U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



1. Three-stage conveyor-belt drier, followed by a drying bin. The 

 bin itself may be continuous in operation, in which case it is essentially 

 a fourth stage of the conveyor, arranged for very deep piling. 



2. Three-stage conveyor-belt drier, followed by a continuous 

 vacuum-finishing drier. 



3. Counterflow tunnel, followed by a finishing bin. This combina- 

 tion has been used in commercial operations for some years. 



4. Cabinet drier, followed by a finishing bin. Use of the bin re- 

 leases the cabinet from the part of the run on which it is normally 

 most inefficient. 



5. Kotary drier, followed by vacuum drier. The rotary may be 

 used for most of the drying of some products which are tough enough 

 to stand the tumbling action, but it tends to reduce a nearly dry product 

 to powder. 



6. Parallel-flow predrying tunnel, counterflow secondary tunnel, and 

 finishing bin. A combination which is being widely adopted for large 

 commercial operations. 



7. Parallel-flow predrying tunnel, followed by two-stage conveyor- 

 belt drier. The tunnel takes the part of the cycle for which the con- 

 veyor drier is least well adapted. The second stage of the conveyor 

 drier can be designed for deep piling, as in a finishing bin. 



8. Center-exhaust tunnel followed by finishing bin. The combina- 

 tion is equivalent to that of No. 6 above, except in the mamier of 

 handling the product between the first and second stages (fig. 60). 



FINISHING AND PACKAGING 



The equipment required in finishing and packaging dehydrated 

 products ordinarily includes the following: A bin drier (if used), a 

 picking belt, one or more shaking or jogging stands (if used) , placed 

 at the end of the picking belt, gassing equipment in plants that 

 dehydrate carrots and cabbage, scales, a can seamer or bag and carton 

 closer, space for boxing and labeling, a clean dry space for the 

 storage of cased dehydrated products and for empty cans, bags, and 

 cartons, and finally a loading platform. The floor area required for 

 finishing and packaging in a plant that handles carrots at the rate 

 of 30 tons daily has been estimated as shown below. 



Area in 

 square feet 

 Bin drier 120 



Picking belt 6 x 2% feet (2 women) 125 



Can shaker 10 



Gassing unit (vacuum chamber and pump) 50 



Scales _ 10 



Can-lid closing machine or carton and bag-sealing unit 15-75 



Space for boxing, labeling, and stenciling 50 



Storage of empty 5-gallon cans and boxes, 1% carloads 750 



Storage of filled 5-gallon cans, boxed, 1% carloads 750 



Aisles 640 



Car shipping platform 400 



Total 3,000 



The floor space required for this department in a 25-ton plant is 

 estimated to range between 2,400 and 4,100 square feet. (See p. 10.) 

 This estimate is based on diced carrots, packed as follows : 14 pounds 

 in 5-gallon cans, 2 cans per case, 1.75 cubic feet of gross volume per 

 case having outside dimensions of 20y 2 x 9% x 14% inches. A boxcar 

 with a volume of 3,150 cubic feet will hold approximately 1,800 cases 



