The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-08-29

quarters has been such as to indicate
q high record for the present year.
The present total daily capacity of the
local mills is so.51e barrels. or In round
numbers about $4,000 900 barrels per an
mum. FAoaIr mills are never worked to
their full capacity for any extensive
period. In some parts of the country
where considerable -four Is manufac- |
tured millerst do not produce 50 per cent
of their capacity. Minneapolis maintains
q standard proportion, Of production to
capacity Of about 85 per cent Two new
mills are to be built here this year which
will increase the total capacity several
thousand barrels.
In 1884 Minneapolis mills were grind.
ing 5000 600 barrels OF flour. In 1901
production made a new record Of 1922 I
0o6 barrels. The production in 1900 was
1b,0s3, 900 and I'M 9S the mills ground a.,
$4,000 barrels. e..
The. ,Pillsbury- Washburn companys to-
! tai daily capacity Is In the neighborhood
Of 81, 150 barrels;' the washburn- Crosby
company 27.616; the Northwestern Con-
sohdated Milling" company, $4,000: four
other: mills will reach nearly 5000 bar
rels
' The daily capacity Of the Pillsbury "a"
mill is about Is, 900 barrels and Of the
Washburn a." belonging to the Wash
burn Crosby company. about 10,4o0 bar
rels. These mills are famous all over the
world and the ffoltr manufactured in them
has been: advertised and sold in nearly
every quarter of the GLOBE -
In 1873, when Minneapolis -four produc
ton began to, Increase it's Importance in
the worlds supply, this city was produc-
ing about $4,000 barrels per annum. In
the next year the production went up to
100000 barrels. The year 1885 the
single one in which there was any halt
Ing In this progress. Production was then
In the neighborhood of 5,250,000 barrels.
In 1896 the total had reached 10000, 900.
The mills have shown "a rapid increase
since that time.
= Domestic Trade. Growing.
While the export trade has not been
satisfactory this year, the people Of the
eastern states are buying Minneapolis
-four in increased proportion. This has
compensated the millers to some extent
for shrinkage Of trade beyond the salt
seas. In the battle between spring wheas
and winter wheat fours for preference in
the domestic market. the hard wheat
product is winning. This Is having ia
vorable effect upon the amount of BUSH
ness done by Minneapolis mills in the
southern and eastern states. 1t is grad
.uaHy adding to their territory at home
while the miller Is strenuously endeavor-
ing to fortify himself against any lean
years that may come by holding his place
in the export trade or lettering it ITO
some extent.
In this connection the past year has
brought some good results, although they
have not as yet assisted in the sale of
flour The mllers' argument that export
flour should be given the same rate as
export wheat, plus the small difference in
cost Of handling, is making friends among
traffic men in all parts of the country.
American wheat. cheaply transported to
the United Kingdom and other European
countries, has furnished the foreign mill
err an opportunity more successfully to
combat the invasion Of the manufactured
product from Minneapolis. The correction
of this evil lies with the transportation
companies. The miller has been forced
to conduct a campaign Of education on
the transportation of flour In order to
overcome prejudice in many quarters.
Gradually, however, many: traffic men
have been won ever,; and there Is much
to Indicate that the transportation COM
panies will finally adopt rate policy
that will send more of the manufactured
product and less Of the raw material
abroad.
The Canadian Wheat Supply.
One important result Of the present
year has been the successful experiment
of the was1burn-Cro=by company in
grinding Canadian wheat in bond. This
experiment was put through under con-
dftions which were far from encouraging
at the start. Canadian transportation
> companies were finally reasoned out of a
wrong and prejudiced position and the
wheat brought to Minneapolis. This COM
pany will repeat the experiment whenever
the price of wheat in Canada will make it
profitable.
Although spring wheat flour has many
hard battles ahead in its progressive cam
pafgn for a world territory and bigger
sales, the progress it has made is mat
ter Of much congra tulation to the men
identified with this big in.iustly. For 4
loIE time 'r,der the old methods Of mill
iEs little faith was placed m the future
: of Minnesota as an agricultural state. The
fot;r made from spring wheat was daror
thar that made from winter wheat and
- the value of spring wheat and SU",ng
wheat Hour was consequently less than
winter wheat and its product. BY the Old
illods in milling, the hard otter cover
Ing OF sp. ing wheat was more or less pull
I - verified and PASSED through the boiling
cloth with the flour. The line particles, ',f
brar rrG:eed with the flour attracted rcoist-
IRE IN hot OF damp climates 50 that the
flour soon spoiled. Therefore it could not
be readily exported. In the markets of
Chicago and Buffalo five bushels of sprin,
wheat rarely sold for as much as four
bushels of the same grade Of winter
wheat.
Prior to 1870, practically all Of the -four
of the world was made by what is known
as the old process Of low grinding in
& which the upper milestone was set low, or
very close to the lower, and the wheat
!, II Between 1870 and 1890, this method gave
s. place to the newer process the highly per-
fected machinery of to-day being the eli
max of the inventors skill so much in
evidence III the laSC thirty years. In the
meantime spring wheat flour has changed
places with winter wheat product in the
estimation of the consumers the world
over and Minnea polls is a f1ourishing me-
tropolis, the greatest flour market In the
world, in one of the richest agricultural
sections on the globe rapidly developing
tho acres from which is to come her fu-
ture supply. -@4 r
The new process as introduced by
George n. Christian consisted Of reducing
grain to flour by two or more successive
grindings. AS result Of the first grind
Ing, the grain was reduced to small par
ticles or granules. The resulting chop
- was passe dthrough the boiling apparatus
and separated into its component parts.
flour niddlings and bran. The middlings
containing the more valuable portion OF
the wheat were reground on separate
stones Later, rollers were substituted
for stones, but the principal governing
their use remains the same. as IN the sys-