The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-11-28
HOW FLOUR IS MANuFAC ruRED.
The Various Processes Through Whic
wheat Passes In the Mill.

The Various Processes Through Which
Wheat Passes In the Mill.
The noises on the inside of the mill
are d~eafening. One who has been
in q Touring mill of the largest size can
not realize what a peculiar lot OF noises
are made by the machinery. As soon
as the wheat enters the machine from
the long spout which brings it down
from the upper floor it falls between two
rollers Of i~ron-"chilled" iron they call
it, and very hard iron it is too. One OF
these rollers revolves rapidly, the other
more slowly, in order that the separa-
ton of the coat, or bran, from the ker-
mel may be more easily accomplished.
The wheat first passes between rollers
separated just enough to allow the coat
to be crushed. Tt is then carried away
| to the top of the mill again, to a room
where the sun yainly tries to shine in
through the -four coated windows far
above the city's roofs. 1t next passes
over a wire sieve which separates the
bran from the kernel proper.
This bran, which contains much of the
-four material, again passes down and Is
ground once more, this process being re-
ings, each one finer than the one proceed
ing it. Each time the ibrous or brap
portions are more completely separated,
and at last the bran comes out a clear,
brownish husk with every particle OF
-four removed.
The inside part Of the kernel has mean
while been going through an interesting
process. After the aTst grinding o.
breaking it passes to a big six sided re
yolving reel covered with a fine wire
netting or sieve. Through this reel Thu
finer portions of the kernels pass, com
Ing out in what are called ''middlings,'
a ~granulated mass which goes back tt
the rollers for another crushing. Thi
process is repeated through five reels, al
but the first being of silk. The last on,
has 100 threads to the lineal inch. TIL
-four which comes out of the fifth reel
while white in hue, is yet not of the fin
est or patent grade, but is classed a
bakers" OF second grade -four.
The middlings above referred to ar
purified by an interesting process. The.
are passed over a fine wire sieve, througl
the upper part Of which q strong cul
rent of air is passed. This holds in sus
pense the tiny portions Of fbrous matte
which may have been in the -four, an
at last, after this process Of middling
purifying has been very carefully Cal
ried out, the flour appears a spotlesi
snowy white-the patent" -four, as it
i called. In the process of grinding in til
gradual and repeated way, the germ {
the wheat, a tiny particle about the siz
Of a mustard seed. is separated from til
white -four. II Is what one might ca
the life part of the wheat. II it we
ground up, 1t would not leave the pater
-four SO white and POWDER, SO it Is Sc
: arated In one of the sie,ings and pass,
into the darker or hrser grade -four.
. contains, however, the hest and sen
nutritious part of the wheat.
: The last thing that happens to the pm
) verified kernel before it is ready 4
! market il the filling Of barrels or sack
= Down many stories through q smoo'
3 tube comes the white or patent" iou
Under the tube Is the barrel or the sac
4 as the case may be. and, as it begins
y fill, q steel augur just the size of the b
rel bores down into the -four, packing
: carefully and solidly beneath the bro
~b,ades.-St. Nicholas. {
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