The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-11-20
HOW FLOUR IS MANUFACTURED.


The GAsfous Processes Through Which
Wheat Passes II the Mill.
The noises On the il side of the mill
are deafenlnI One VINO has never been
in a Touring mill of tie largest size cam
not realize what a n culiar 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 they call
it. and very hard iron it is too. One OF
these rollers ~revolyes rapidly. the other
more slowly. i'll order that the separa-
ton 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. liz is then carried away
TO the top of the mill again. to a room
where the sun vainly tries to shine III
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-
peated four times, making hye grind
ings, zach one finer than the n proceed
ing it. Each time the tibrous or bran
portions are more completely separated.
and at last III. bran comes ont 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-
yolving reel covered with a fine wire
netting or sieve. Through this reel the
finer portions Of the kernels pass. COM
ingo out in what are called ''middlings.'
a 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. h last one
has 1a0 threads to the liueal inch. The
-four which comes ont of the fifth reel.
while white IN hue. j. yet not of the fin
est or patent grade, but is classed as
baker or second grade -four.
The middlings above referred to are
purified by an interesting process. They
are passed over IA 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 fibrous matter
which may nave been in the -four, and
at last, after this process Of middlings
purifying has been very carefully car
ried out, the -four appears a spotless.
snowy white-the patent flour, as 1t Is
called. In the process Of grinding in this
gradual and repeated way, the germ OF
the wheat. a tiny particle about the size
of a mustard seed. is separated from the
white -four. 1t is what one might call
the life part of the wheat. If it were
ground up. it would not leave the patent
four so white and powdery, so it is sep
arated in one of the sievings anu passes
into the darker or lower grade -four. II
contains, however, the best and mos,
nutritious part of the wheat.
The last thing that happens to the pull
verified kernel before II is ready fol
market is the filling of barrels or sacks
Down many stories through a smootl
tube comes the white or patent -four
Under the tube is the barrel or the sack
a. the case may be, and, as it begins tt
fill, q steel augur just the size OF the bar
rel bores down into the flour, packing i
carefully and solidly beneath the broad
blades.-St. Nicholas.