Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-12-12
HOW FLOUR Is MANUFACTURED.
rHE VARIOUS PROCESSES THROUGH
WHICH WHEAT rAssEs IN THE MILL.

The noises on the inside Of the NIL
are deafening. One who has never beer
In Touring mill Of the largest size cal
not realize what peculiar lot OF noises
are made by the machinery. As soon al
the wheat enters the machine from IN,
long spout which brings it down from
the upper floor it falls between two roll
ers OF lron-''chilled" iron they call IL
and very hard iron 1t Il too. One o1
these rollers revolves rapidly, the Othel
more slowly, In order that the separa
tlou Of the coat, or bran, from the kerne
may be more easily accomplished. Ths
wheat first passes between rollers sepa
rated just enough to allow the coat to b
crushed. IL IL then carried away to the
top Of the mill again, tn room whers
the sun vainly tries to shins In through
the fiour.coated windows far above the
city's roofs. IL next passes over wirs
sieve which separates the bran from the
kernel proper.
This bran, which contains much oi
the flour material, again passes down
and is ground once more, this process
being repeated four times, making i've
grindings, each one finer than the one
preceding it. Each time the fibrous OF
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
meanwhile been going through an inter
estiug process. After the first grinding
or breaking. Il passes to n big slx-sided
revolving reel covered with fine wire
netting or sieve. Through this reel the
finer portions Of the kernels pass, COM
Ing out In Whit are called "middlings,"
a grsnulated mass which goes back to
the rollers for another crushing. This
process Is repeated through i've reels,
all but the fret being of silk. The last
one has one hundred aud twenty threads
To the llnesl inch. The ilour which
comes out Of the fifth reel. while white
In hue, IL yet not OF the finest OF
"pstent" grade, but is cl,ssed a'
"bsker's" or second-grade Hour.
The middliugs above referred To are
purified by an Interesting process. They
are passed over a line wire sieve. through
the upper part Of which strong current
Of air Il passed. This holds In suspense
the tiny portions Of hbrous matter which
nav have been In the -four, aud at last
after this process Of middlings purifying
has been very carefully carried out. the
-four appears a spotless, snowy white
the .'pstent" -four, as II Ia called. In
the process Of grinding In this gradual
and repeated wav. the grrm OF the
wheat, n tiny particle about the sire of n
mustard seed, Il separated from the
white Hour. IL IL what one might call
the life part of the wheat. IL it were
ground up Il would not leave the patent
fiour so white aud pow Ndery, so II is
separated In one Of the sievings and
passes into the darker or lower grade
tiour. IL contains, however, the hest
and most nutritious part Of the wheat.
The last thing that happens to the
pulverized kernel before II is ready for
market is the filling Of barrels or sacks.
Down many stories through smooth
tube comes the white or "patrnt' Hour.
Under the tube IL the barrel or the sack,
M the case may be, and, as u begins to
an. steel suger just the sire of the
barrel bores down into the -four, pack
Ing 1t carefully and solidly beneath the
broad blades.-St. Nicholas.