2 BULLETIN 801, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGBICULTUBE. 
The success of the cotton warehousing business is strongly influ- 
enced by the elements of cost of construction on the one hand, and 
insurance rates on the other, for these two factors determine very 
largely the returns on the investment. Primary factors determining 
warehouse design are the character and volume of the business con- 
templated^ the site for the plant, and the possible arrangement of the 
buildings. 
Certain conditions vitally affect the adoption of both site and ar- 
rangement of the plant. Some of these conditions are whether cotton 
is handled primarily for producers or dealers, with the consequent- 
influence on " turn overs " and " peak loads," whether it is deposited 
and withdrawn in large or small lots, is generally for shipment to 
local or to distant points, is stored flat or compressed, is subject to 
favorable shipping rates. It is apparent that warehouses for local 
storage, for use as a concentration or compress point, for an export 
plant, or for a cotton mill warehouse, will present separate problems 
both from the standpoint of the actual plant and of the handling 
system and storage methods employed. The solution of these prob- 
lems is a matter of managerial policy and does not lie within the scope 
of this discussion. 1 
The site for the plant should be considered with reference to trans- 
portation facilities, area available, topography of the ground, charac- 
ter -of the soil, and the water supply which is available or can be pro- 
vided. Transportation connections by both water and rail are de- 
sirable, while for the plant handling cotton in large quantities for 
distant delivery, as at concentration points, such connections may be 
indispensable. The area available may limit the distribution of the 
buildings and consequently the design. The toporgaphy of the 
ground influences both arrangement and design, while the character 
of the soil sometimes affects the cost of construction with a resulting 
influence on economy of design. As a rule, no warehouse should be 
built unless it can be provided with a sufficient water supply for rea- 
sonable fire service. 
The layout of the plant, or the arrangement of the buildings. 
should be influenced primarily by the elements of fire hazard, con- 
venience for handling cotton, and the design of the building desired 
considered with the economical type of construction. Protection 
against fire exposure demands isolation of buildings and restriction 
in size of units. At the same time, the arrangement should be such 
as affords the greatest economy in handling the cotton, which prefer- 
ably should be moved into the warehouse from one side and turned 
1 Newton. Roy L., and Workman, J. M. Cotton Warehousing— Benefits of nn 
Adequate System. In Yearbook of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 191S. 
