The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-12-01
Flour Manufacture.

Until recently, says the Californian, it
was believed that the only thing to be
sought for in the production of a good
article of -four was q more or less fine
disintegration of the kernels of wheat.
As long as millers held to the theory
that grinding" was all that was re-
quired, large percentage of the -four
had its nutritive powers greatly re-
duced by being ground to an impalpable
dust. Science, by aid of the micro
scope, has shown that no really good
bread can be made from flour in which
any large portion of the starch globules
have been thus broken down. The ris-
ing of bread is due to the starch glo-
bules which remain whole, while the
dust from the disintegrated ones, by
souring, impairs the lightness and sweet
ness of the loaf. 1t is but recently that
these facts have been made known to
millers, and since that time they have
been discarding their old theories and
machinery and devising improvements
with the view to separating the starch
globules rather than pulverizing them.
Another important advance in this in
dustry consists of an improvement in
betting machines. Until recently the
bran was separated from the flour by a
powerful air-blast, which blows off the
light particles of bran. Considerable
power is required for this process, and,
although it is carried on in q closed
room, there is not only great waste of
the finer particles of -four, but the i'm
palpable dust penetrates every part of
the mill, and often gives rise to destruc-
tive explosions. By recent invention,
electricity is made to take the place of
the air-blast. Just over the wire bolt
ing cloth, which has a rapid reciprocal
motion, number of hard-rubber cylin-
ders are kept slowly revolving and rub
bing against strips of sheepskin, by
which large amount of frictional cleo
tricity is evolved. Then as the mid
dlings are sieved by the reciprocal mo-
tion, the lighter bran comes to the top,
whence, instead of being blown away
by an air blast, it is attracted to the
electrically charged cylinders, as light
substances are attracted to a piece of
paper or stick of sealing wax, which
has been smartly rubbed. The removal
of the bran from the rollers and its de-
posit on one side are readily effected,
while the flour is carried in another
direction. The separation is thus made
complete, with very little loss or dust.
Still another device has also been in
troduced to remove from the wheat, be-
fore being ground, small pieces of iron
which, despite the utmost care, will find
its way into the grain, working great
injury to mill machinery. This trouble
is now remedied by the use of a series of
magnets, directly under which all the
grain is made to pass. These magnets
readily capture all the stray pieces of
iron from the wire bands used in bind
ing; and they have also revealed the
singular fact, that, of the scraps of iron
and steel which find their way into the
grain, fully one-third are something be
side the binging wire. They are of
larger proportions, of varying character,
and much more hurtful to the machinery
than the wire. Thus it is that science
is constantly coming to our aid in all
our varied industries, Tightening the
labor of the workman, decreasing the
cost of products, and in every way i'm
proving all the various processes which
are involved in the improved and con-
stantly advancing civilization Of the age.