Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-04-12

IL very MBn, but n small portion OF their
wheat passes for No. 1. / will not refer to
the rejected; but of course it finds its way
into flour, and the improved system Of mill
ing makes n very nice looking flour. Ken
tucky is celebrated for nice flour, but very
little of it reaches this section of the country
California and Oregon wheat is usually very
large and heavy, superior in appearance to
any grown East or South. Most Of the crop
is shipped to foreign countries.
Returning to the Northwestern States we
find ourselves in the midst of the extensive
Spring wheat fields Spring wheat, before
the introduction of the late improvements in
milling, was considered harsh, dark wheat,
and nearly all the -four sent to the Eastern
market was sold for comparatively low
price but since the introduction of the new
system of milling, Spring wheat stands much
! higher. In fact, some of the best -four in
the world is manufactured from Minnesota
Spring wheat. The city of Minneapolis is
the great milling centre of the Northwest.
The soil of Minnesota produces a superior,
hard, ilnty wheat, peculiarly adapted to pro-
ducing new-process flour to which | will
again refer. Iowa has not yet succeeded in
]
facturtd the most desirable flour 1t no
doubt can be improved by subduing the soil,
and higher state Of cultivation Wisconsin
produces softer wheat than Minnesota, there
fore it is not as well adapted TO making new
process flour; yet there is some very choice
flour manufactured in Wisconsin and Iowa.
The different kinds of wheat of course need
different treatment in manufacturing flour,
but it is impossible to produce superior flour
from all kinds of wheat The changes which
| have overtuken manufacturers Of flour or if
one peasc-the advancement made by the
millers of the country during the last few
! years seems almost incredible. and really de
serves more than passing notice. No doubt
us good flour was made and eaten fifty years
ago as now but rs the demand increased it
became necessary to perform the work more
rapidly than 10y the old system. The old sys-
TEN answered for the times and would an
! swer now if there was not better way. In
| no branch of manufacturing has there been
| greater progress than in milling wheat The
| present method Of treating wheat and trans
forming it into -four has been reduced to
| scientific basis. The system Of making what is
known as the new-process flour is very poorly
understood by consumers, and indeed judg-
| ing from my observation. | must conclude
that most dealers know little Of the princi-
pies of grpnulating and reducing wheat to
flour.
The various titles given to -four such as
HaXall, Patent, New-Process &c, &c, would
lead the consumer to understand that they
represented distinct qualities or grades Of
-four. If the new process of making flour
is anything, it is Il protest against i'm
perfect methods and imperfect machinery,
and it embodies in itself all the improvements
that have been made in milling from it's oarli-
est history. The principles are not altogeth-
er new but the result of progress and gradu-
al advancement in the art. To explain more
fully the principles upon which this progress
is based, | will refer to one of the oldest and
largest milling establishments in the country,
namely, the Haxall mill of Richmond, Va.
now owned by HaXall, Crenshaw Il Co. Their
first mill was built in 1909 The Hasall mills
have been twice reduced to ashes once in
1850 and again in 1874. Yet 'notwithstand-
ing these reyerses, they have been rebuilt each
time with additional improvements The
seen at once. This mill has been managed
by scientific as well rs practical men, and
their style Of milling has been far in advance
of most other mills hence their flour has be-
came famous the world over Owing to its
notoricty, their name has been stolen ten
thousand times over Notwithstanding, when
any change ilas occurred in their business, the
name has been putinas worth $50, 900. Attic
millers convention held at Buffalo, ~ Y, last
season, Mr.. Haxall appealed to the good judg-
ment the members of the convention TO know
if they thought it right for millers to assume
the name a title for new-process flour. The
expression was unanimous that it was wrong.
and that millers and dealers ought not to CON
tinue the practice, rs the name New Proc
ess" is the true term to use in designating the
new method from the old. Yet large num-
Der of mill5rs and dealers nre stealing the
name of those popular mills aud putting il
on to -four that no more compares with Hax-
all, Crenshaw ~ Co. 5 flour than it compares
with gold dust. The IlaXall mills keep fully
up with all modern improvements, including
purifiers of the best pattern. The mills con-
tain forty-two run of burr and can turn out
twelve hundred barrels per day have re-
ferrod to the Haxal mills in particular, to
show where the name originated. Their flour
is the only Haxall -four in the country, in a
true sense but ii must be borne in mind that
very little of their flour finds its way to New
England
It is well known that the old system of
milling was to run at very high speed and
with a sharp and deep-furrowed burr, grind
ing at the rate of fifteen or twenty bushels
per hour. This would heat the meal almost !
to scaldng temperature, and therefore
cooling would not always restore it to its nat
ural condition Compelled by the law of
progress, our millers have been obliged to
study and make improvements, among the
most important Of which is the purifying of
the middhngs In this the crowning point
seems to have been reached which so many
millers have been aiming at yet even this
improvement would be of comparatively little
value if it was all there was to the new proc
ess." The great point is how can the wheat
be granulRted properly, and the different
parts separated so as to produce perfect
floury
The first prominent step to notice in max
ing new process flour, after thoroughly clean
ing the wheat, is to run it through a set of
steel or porcelain rollers, smashing all the
kernels to an even thickness. 1t is then trans
ferred to the burr-which has an entirely diff
ferent dress from the old style-and run
through at a low speed mot over five bushels
| per hour, at the same time grinding high
This graduates the wheat instead of smash
ing all to fine powder, and does not heat the
meal at ALL This style of grinding produces
a large amount of middlings and very little
fine four-which really is the desired object
The granulated part is run through chest
| containing screens or boiling cloths rotary