78 BULLETIN 801, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
But for all buildings of more than one story, fire-resistive con- 
struction is preferable. 
The port warehouse, which handles cotton in large blocks, should 
not find any serious objection to piling cotton provided it is held 
in storage for a considerable time. The port warehouse may re- 
quire a combination of building designs to meet different forms of 
business. 
The cotton-mill warehouse requires convenience of handling to 
a certain degree, but it is overshadowed by the importance of the 
maximum of protection from fire. Hence the choice is usually be- 
tween the low one-story Avood-end building, if a small quantity of 
cotton is stored, and the multiple-story building of fire-resistive 
design if a large amount of cotton is kept on hand. For the mill 
that handles cotton waste or inferior cotton in quantity favorable 
consideration may be given to the wood-end building having a single 
high story with cotton piled. 
In general, one-story buildings for small plants may be of the 
semi-slow -burning, or wood-end, type of construction, but for large 
plants or for plants having an exposure from the parallel buildings 
or from adjacent property the slow-burning design with openings 
fully protected should be used. From the standpoint of actual fire 
hazard, the best slow-burning construction with a tar-and-gravel 
roof is equally as good as the fire-resistive construction for the one- 
story building. However, there is a physiological advantage in the 
fire-resistive construction, and the depreciation charges are less. For 
multiple-story buildings fire-resistive construction should be used 
whenever possible, and always for buildings of from four to six 
stories in height. For buildings of less than four stories and sprin- 
klered, slow-burning construction is fairly satisfactory, and for 
buildings of two stories the feasible construction is often the semi- 
slow burning or " wood-end." 
It should be remembered in comparing the cost of timber and 
reinforced concrete floors that often the cost is practically the same 
for floors to carry heavy loads, while the timber construction is very 
much cheaper for floors designed for very light' loads, particularly 
if the span, or spacing of supports, is long. Also, the flat-slab 
designs for reinforced concrete, while always desirable, are more 
economical as compared with the beams system when the slab is con- 
tinuous through division fire walls, when the span is regular and not 
too great and when the loads to be carried are heavy. It is appar- 
ent that these considerations are closely related to the densitv and 
arrangement of bales stored. 
Fire protective equipment should be considered of fundamental 
importance, and complete protection should be provided for all large 
warehouses. 
