Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-12-09
No Longer KILLERS, but Crackers and
Washers Millstones Superseded
BY Steel Rollers

( AltuuedPoltS Cpeciat Cor, Gnic3SO 1Tlbunc-
"How many bushels of wheat can
your Minneapolis mills grind in a
year," | asked Mr.. Hinkle, who, like
Pillsbury and Washburn, is one of the
largest millers here.
eve don't grind any more wheat,
my friend" replied Mr.. Hinkle, "we
crack and mash it. We aren't mi!lers
any more here, sir; we're crackers and
Washers, sir. You eastern fellows
are Mt posted"
'.Do yon mean to say you don t use
millstones," | asked.
"Certainly not. The milestone has
gone. It's barbarism of the past
We've kicked EN- all out, and put the
Hungarian steel rollers in their place.
Hencelorth you will please not say the
mills of the gods you will say
The steel rollers of the gods rolls slowly,
But they crush to powder"
STEEL ROLLERS VS.. MILLsTONES.
To be serious, I found all the Min
neapolis millers taking out their
millstones, and substituting steel rollers
in their places. Wheat, by the new
Hungarian process. is not ground, but
cracked. These rollers are about thirty
inches long and eight inches in diane
ter. 1t takes five sets of steel rollers
to finish the -four Each set Of rollers
runs closer than the preceding.
After the wheat passes each set Of
rollers it is bolted or siftcd through
coarse cloth. This cloth lets the Dis
integrated PARTICLES Of wheat through,
and passes off the bulky and large
pieces, which are run through another
and a closer set of rollers, and cracked
again. The last rollers, have little
else but wheat hulls and the waxy
germs Of the wheat, which do not crack
up, but smash down like a piece of
wax. The germ of kernel of wheat
is not good food. 1t makes -four black.
BY the old milestone process this waxy
germ was ground up with the starchy
portion. and bolted through with the
-four. By the new system of cracking
the kernel instead of grinding it, this
germ is not, ground, but hatened out,
while the starchy portions of the
wheat are crushed into powdered wheat
or -four.
HOW WHEAT BECOMES FLOUR.
The history of single kernel of
wheat, as it is made into -four by the
new roller process, is as follows:
l. The kernel is passed between steel
rollers on which are lined corrugations.
This breaks the kernel into from six to
eight pieces, and great deal of starchy
matter falls out. These pieces arc
passed over cloth sieve (bolted. }
The starchy PARTICLES which pass
through the sieve are the best portion
Of the wheat. It is this portion that
makes the high-priced -four, worth
$40 a barrel in Minneapolis.
2. These six cracked pieces of wheat,
after being sifted. are passed through
the second rollers. These rollers are
fairly smooth, but not polished The
kernel this time Is cracked into, say,
thirty-six pieces, and the crushed
matter is bolted again. The particles
bolted out make fine -four, worth IS
per barrel.
3. These thirty-s.x pieces are then
run through the third set Of rollers,
and cracked into perhaps PIG pieces,
which are bolted again. BY this time
all the best part of the wheat is bolted
out; and nothing but the hulls, a few
PARTICLES, and the waxy germs remain.
This debris is now rolled through an
other set of rollers, and bolted again.
The particles bolted out make a good
second-rate -four, worth $500 barrel;
while the hulIs and grains are ground
upon the ordinry milestone, and made
into a very low grade Of flour, worth
So 80 barrel, and bran worth 50 a
ton.
WHAT BECOMES OF THE FLOUR.
The best -four, worth $40 barrel
in Minneapolis, is mostly shipped to
New York, New England, and Europe
Flour is billel directly from Min
neapolis to Liverpool, Glasgow, Havre,
and the Mediterranean ports.
The second-rate -four, worth So
barrel in Minneapolis, is shipped
generally to Glasgow It is called the
bakers brand. The bakers always use
second class -four. By superior
knowledge they make as good looking
bread out Of So -four as households
make out of IS -four In fact, s.
-four, with pure baking-powder, will
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