The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-12-02
HOW FLOUR IS mANuFkcTUREo.
The sAstOu> proresec, Through Which
Wheat Passe. In the Mill.

The s.s4ou> prores.c. Through which
Wheat Passr. In the Mill.
The noises On tire inside of the mill
are deafenlng. One who has never been
in IL ~tiourlHg mill OF the largest size can
not realize what Il 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 fails between two
rollers of ir~3n-"rhilled" iron they call
il. and very hard iron it is too. One Of
these rollers reyolves rapidly, the other
more slowly. in order that the separa-
ton of the coat. or bran. from the kerr
mel may be more easily a, complished
The wheat first passes between rollers
separated just enough to all.w the coat
to be crushed. Ii is then ca, ried away
to the top Of the mill again. TO a room
where the sun vainly tries to shine in
through the -four coated windows far
above the city's roofs. 1t next passes
over IA wire sieve which separates the
bran from the kernel proper.
This bran. which contains much of the
dour material. again passes down and is
ground once more. this process being re.
peated our times, making five grind
ings, each one finer than the n preced-
ing it. Each time the fibrous or bran
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 first grinding OF
breaking it passes to a big six sided re-
volvlng reel covered with a fine wire
netting or sieve. Through this reel the
finer portions Of the kernels pass, COM
ing out in what are called ''middlings,'
. g%ranulated mass which goes back to
the rollers for another crushing. This
process is repeated through five reels, all
but the first being of silk. The last one
has 100 threads to the lineal inch. The
aour which comes out of the fifth reel.
while white in hue, is yet not Of the fin
est or patent" grade, but is classed as
bakers" or second grade -four.
The middlings above referred to are
purified by an interesting process. They
are passed nver a fine wire sieve, through
the upper part Of which a strong cur.
rent of air is passed. This holds in sus-
pense the tiny portions Of fbrous matte,
which may have been in the Aour, an1
at last, after this process of middlings
purifying has been very carefully car
ried out, the -four appears q spotless,
snowy white-the patent flour, as it is
called. In the process of grinding in this
gradual and repeated way. the germ of
the wheat. a tiny particle about the sig
Of a mustard seed, is separated from tie
white -four. 1t is what one might cali
the life part of the wheat. II it were
ground up, it would not leave the pater.
-four SO white and powdery, SO it is SEP
arated in one Of the sievings and passes
into the darker or lower grade -four. II
contains, however. the best and most
nutritious part Of the wheat.
The last thing that happens 20 the pull
verified kernel before 1t is ready for
market is the filing of barrels or sacks.
Down many stories through a smooth
tube comes che white or patent -four
Under the tube is the barrel CT the sack
as the case may be, and, as it begins Il,
fill, a steel augur just thesize of the bar.
rel bores down into the -four. pacing il
carefully and solidly beneath the broad
b'ades.-St. Nicholas.