Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-06-08
ltFrOm.our Regular Correspondent -
London Letter.
LONDON. Eng, Nav %, 1881.

| This afternoon An exhibition. which has
been open since the Tuesday of last week,
and which, for those capable of apprecia-
/ ting it. can scarcely be surpassed in inter-
est, closes its doors. There are. in round
numbers, ten thousand millers in the
United Kingdom. and unless they mind
what they are about, the next census will
see their numbers so diminished rs to
bring them into accord with the simulta-
ueous dwindling ranks of growers of
wheat in these islands.
The most intelligent English millers
begin to rub their ewes in establishment
when they see that high,class American
lour-ground, it may be at Minneapolis
in Minnesota, or upon the Rock river in
Illnois-can be offered in Mark-lane at
prices with which no English miller can
compete; and, further that this American
flour is unexceptionable in its whiteness
and in the extreme powdery fineness of
its quality.
| The spacious area of the hall at Isling-
ton, extending over four hundred feet in
length by two hundred in breadth, is COM
pletely covered by sections of actual -four
mill buildings, rising sometimes-as in
the case of a huge wooden model OF a mill
erected by Messrs. Naget and Keamp, of
Hamburg to height of five stories,
structure of which the top all but touches
the lofty roof. Around and on every side
is heard the incessent hum of machinery
in rapid motion, and wonder is excited at
new applications of betting and gearing,
Germany, Denmark and the United States.
While admiring the machinery brought to
London from Minneapolis or Buda Pesth,
| find that English vigilance, enterprise
and ingenuity have not gone permanently
to sleep. Thus, at the commencement of
the catalogue appear several discriminat-
ing and instructive essays uopn milling
two of them, in particular, being by English
men, Mr.J Harrison Carter, of Mark.lane,
and Mr.. Henry Simon, of Manchester. and
both excellent of their kind. The first and
most striking Improvement to be observed
Is that the old burr stone is rapidly disappear
ing before its modern successor, the roller
milling system. Despite the prejudice of
some in favor OF coarse and gritty -four
containing husk and kernel alike-a pref
uiice of which Miss Yates has lately been
the most outspoken enunciator the de-
mand for fine, or in other words for pure.
flour Is undoubtedly on the increase all
over the world, In order to meet this
demand, and to keep his head above
water when brought into competition
with the exquisitely VIII lite and delicutely
tieecy flour from the United States, the
English miller is at last beginning to
understand that he must ut once have
recourse to n new kind of machinery, and
to the employ ment of silk sfters, of new
hoppers and new boilers, of middlings
purifiers, and all kind of delicate and in
genous contrivances such as he never
imagined before. The agricultural hall
has often presented strangers from the
country with opportunities for amusing
! themselves, but never was it devoted TO a
more useful and instructive purpose. The
exhibition has shown that unless the
millers of England Scotland, and Ireland
are ready and willing TO open their eyes
with intelligent alacrity in order to ac-
quaint themselves with the manifold
improvements introduced into their bust
ness by foreign rivals, nothing can long
preserve them from absolute extinction.
If they will but consent to study the rapid
growth in the number of -four bags
barrels being no longer used-im ported
into this kingdom from the United State
during the last five years, and if, furt her,
they will examine the superb quality of
the high-grade American -four which is
no" flowing into this country, it is not
possible for them to cling any longer to
the old an ! outworn trade traditions in
which from boyhood they have been
nurtured, and which will inevitably land
them in ruin should they stubbornly per-
slst in the old routine to the end.