The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-11-01
now FLOUR IS Manufactured.
The Various Prooesses Through Which
Wheat Passes In the Mill.

The Various Processes Through Which
Wheat Passes In the Mill.
The noises on the inside OF the mill
are deafening. One who has never been
In Touring mill of the largest size can
not realize what q 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 iron-"chilled" iron thew call
1t, and very hard iron it is too. One Of
these rollers revolves rapidly, the other
more slowly, in order that the separa-
don of the coat, or bran, from the kerr
mel may be more easily accomplished.
The wheat first passes between rollers
separated just enough to allow the coat
to be crushed. 1t is then carried away
to the top of the mill again, to room
where the sun vainly tries to shine in
through the flour coated windows far
above the city's roofs, 1t next passes
over wire sieve which separates the
bran from the Kernel proper.
This bran, which contains much of the
flour material, again passes down and is
ground once more, this process being re-
peated four times, making five grind
tngs, each one finer than the one proceed
Ing it. Each time tho ,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 or
breaking it passes to a big six sided re-
volving reel covered with fine wire
netting or sieve. Through this reel the
finer portions Of the kernels pass, COM
ing out in what are called "middlings,'
q granulated 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
flour 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
"baker's" or second grade flour.
The middlings above referred to are
purified by an interesting process. They
are passed over fine wire sieve, through
the upper part of which a strong cur
rent of air is passed. This holds in sus-
Pcnoe tiie lilly porIlonS Oh HDrOuS maUter
which may have been in the -four, and
at last, after this process of middlings
purifying has been very carefully car
ried out, the flour appears a spotless,
snowy white-the patent" -four, as it is
called. In the process of grinding in this
gradual and repeated way, the germ of
the wheat, tiny particle about the size
of mustard seed, is separated from the
white flour. 1t is what one might call
the life part of the wheat. If it were
ground up. itwould not leave the patent
flour so white and powdery, SO it is sep
arated in one of the sievings and passes
into the darker or lower grade flour. 1t
contains, however, the best and most
nutritious part of the wheat.
The last thing that happens to the pull
verified kernel before it is ready for
market is the filling of barrels or sacks
Down many stories through a smooth
tube comes the white or patent" -four
Under the tube is the barrel or the sack,
as the case may be, and, as it begins to
fill, steel augur just the size of the bar
rel bores down into the -four, packing it
carefully and solidly beneath the broad
blades.-St. Nicholas.