The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-10-19
A STAR OF HOPE.
Interesting Communication About Wheat
Milling:

"a O1AAk VI AAVA As
Interesting Communication About Wheat
Milling:
In the C5Kon Plant OF July 90th Mr..
Rodgers asks for the name of an agent
or dealer In "pstent -four milla." He
can obtain the address of such BY the
dozen by consulting the advertising COL
umns of the milling and other industrial
journals.
Hil card and questions relate to sub.
ject Of such vital importance to those who
make and consume bread that hope
the readers of this paper will not con-
slider what I have say an intrusion. To
make every point in every detail plain
In treating this subject, from the time the
seed wheat is committed TO the soil un.
til the barrel Of -four IL rolled from un-
der the packer or the Loaf is drawn from
the oven, would require considerable
volume. Az that volume Is impractica-
BILE, and would be Ito the writsr) un-
profitable, many things that are necessary
to be known will have 10 remain OBJ
scure.
Mr. Rodgers has evidently scented the
right trail when he proposes to organize
joint stock company for the manufac.
ture Of tho farmers wheat Into -four.
Such company, composed Of farmers
who raise the whsat, are the only ones
that would DO likely to succeed In such
an enserprile, because such stockholders
would find Ii to their interest to use their
land, capital, energy, skill and influence
to improve the quality and augment the
quantity Of the wheat that alone could
make the business of wheat milling auo-
cess In our State.
Flour milling in This Stats with i'm
ported grain should NO. be thought of,
for thsre are many incontrovertible az
gumanta to prove that i! could not sue
cesd. Flour milling in South Carolina
on South Carolina raised wheat could be
made rsmunsratlvs if q sufficient quan-
tity Of wheat vas raised to supply home
demand. To move in this direction the
first thing necessary to be done would be
to inaugurata system that would bring
farmer and miller in closa touch with
each other, and heep them there, The
next things of supreme importance to
consider are first ample capital second,
ample water power; third, sufficient
quantity Of wheat; fourth, skill-knowl-
edge. Neither ono of the above named
requisites could be dispsnssd with, and
without guarantee of all four no indi-
vidud OF compay could succeed. With
out ample capital debts wsuld be made,
tho interest Of which would swallow up
all the profits in spite Of the best me
chanical nkill aud business management.
By am els capital do not mean millions
of dollars, but I do mean few thousand
dollars, sufficient to establish small
plant, such as any wheat growing county
or comnunity would need, aud place it
at ones on solid, substantial cash foun.
dation. As to powsr-ratsr would be
superior to stsam-tha verdict of engine
builders to the contrary notwithstaud-
ing. Water power ia steady and free
from the fluctuations and reciprocatiDg
crank motion so Objectionable in all
steam engines, which is prolific source
of black lssh that il dreaded by intelli-
gent flour millers. Water power also
has decided advantages over steam in
the ccss of fuel, engineers EsgSs, risk
of life and properly from boiler explo-
sions and fire insurance. As to wheat !:
that is of 80 nucn Importance that it
cannot receive .,a.ics in this short arti-
Gle. As has already been stated, i'm
ported grain should not be thought of,
except on a very light experimental
scale, to mix With home-raised, TO make
fancy brands for city folks that never
buy any other but the highest priced
articles, and also to keep business going
when the domestic supply runs short.
In tho face Of 80 many drawbacks to
wheat raising in this State, such as rust,
Hessian fly, warm Winters, hot spring',
impoverished land, atinkins smst, cheat,
cookie, rat filth, oats, wild garlic, ETC.,
the very serious question Nlsss: Can
wheat growing and whoat milling be
ever made a succesl' Without attempt.
ing a direct answer, I will atats that e1-
peyience has demonstrated the fact that
a great majority Of the above obstacles
can be ,urmounted, for aoms years the
farmer makes q good crop Of wheat in
spite Of his caralessness. Farmer stock
holders in small, neat, wsll-equippsd
flour mill would be likely to investigate,
and tho result Of such investigation
would in a few years improve the aver.
age quality and yield of wheat wonder.
fully, and the light could not be hid but
would be contagious. The knowledge,
skill and experience required for such
an undertaking; the ability to plan
building aud machinery so as to suit
both custom snd merchant milling, IS
we'll as looking very carefully aAer clean
ing machinery, and most especially the
purifying and grading of the farmers
seed, Is a matter of the greatest impor'
tancs when permanent business ID
aimed at. Such nscssaary knowledge
must be based upon something more thar
being Vorsed in the claims of manufac'
tursrs of water uhoels, .tsam engines
corrugated and smooth iron and porce'
lain rolls, middliuga, purifiers, bran
busters, etc at the same lime quite for.
getful OF the fact that such manufactu.