UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BULLETIN No. 890 
Contribution from the Bureau of Animal Industry 
JOHN R. MOHLER, Chief 
jZ&Q*fU 
Washington, D. C. 
October 7, 1920 
MILK-PLANT EQUIPMENT. 
Bj r Ernest Kelly, in charge of Market Milk Investigations, and Clarence E. 
Clement, Market Milk Specialist, Dairy Division. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Selection of equipment : 1 
Equipment required , 3 
Scales and weigh can 4 
Drip saver 5 
Receiving vat and storage tanks 6 
Clarifier 7 
Pasteurization 7 
Selection of pasteurizing equip- 
ment 8 
Heaters 10 
Holders 16 
Coolers 18 
In-the-bottle pasteurization 20 
Systems of pasteurizing used 22 
Page. 
Pasteurization — Continued. 
Temperature regulator 23 
Recording thermometer 23 
Bottle fillers and cappers 25 
Bottle washers 29 
Can washers 31 
Labor-saving devices 32 
Power plant 33 
Steam or electric power 34 
Artificial refrigeration 34 
Use of exhaust steam 37 
Cost of plant equipment 38 
Lists of equipment required for vari- 
ous-sized plants 38 
SELECTION OF EQUIPMENT. 
Great care must be given to the selection of milk-plant equipment. 
Many mistakes have been made through the selection of too much 
machinery or machinery which was too complicated. In other cases 
it has often been found after the equipment has been put in opera- 
tion that the capacity of different machines was either too great or 
too small. Such mistakes in selecting equipment are usually detected 
when it is too late, and it would be advisable, therefore, to consider 
seriously the following points before buying the equipment for a 
milk plant : 
1. Simplicity. — The simpler the machine the better. Unnecessary 
parts make the machine difficult to operate and to clean and more 
liable to get out of order. 
2. Ease of cleaning. — Unless the machine can be cleaned easily the 
labor of cleaning will be greater, and the work may be neglected. 
There should be a minimum of parts and joints not easily accessible. 
