The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-27

centers. It is estimated that in years when the crop is good it would require more sas ethan than 10000 cars to move & the Kan, make train 7SS miles long, or. in other words, one that would reach half way from Kansas to New York city. At many of the big farms railroad sidings run df- rectly to the wheat fields and the grain IS loaded aboard cars as rapidly as 1t is The grain upon arrival at ono of tho big modern fiouring mills Is immediately conveyed to the top story of the big buiid- ing, where 1t Is weighed and then trans ferred to storage bins, where the con- stant mixing of wheat of the same grade secures a uniform product From these made up of sieves of perforated metal Some of these sieves turn aside seeds such as barley and oats which are larger than the wheat. while others catch the smaller seeds such as mustard and wild buckwheat the effect being, or course, to reserve the selected wheat
 The next stage in its journey takes the wheat through an ingeniously cons structed scourer and then 1t is poured into wheat heaters, the object of which Is 7, get t.4e grain to a uniform tempera- ture. After passing over the coils heated by steam 1t remains for time in the sns ban 6n eaged to to sSs Is h of rolls where begins the actual work of fiour-maling.
 For the manufacture of most grades of flour. the old-fashioned miilstone has stones, four or five feet in diameter and revolving at a terrific speed. are still en- The phef to bs Danas millstones, and the disadvantage which caused their abandonment in great meas ure. Is found in the fact that they liter ally crush the grain. whereas, as a mat ter of fact, 1t Is much preferable not to have t.le entire wheat kernel crushed. ! :: merely tho interior contents shelled out with as little damage as possible to tbs hu
 The new tangled way of accomplishing the desired result ; to gradually reduce rolls In roller-mill for making flour tho rolls of each pair revolvo in opposite d. rections, and, furthermore. the different pairs of rolls run at different speeds, so that the prepared grain. as 1t Is fed Into this great crushing apparatus, strikes first tho slow rolls and later those re- between the rolls Is followed by sitting. and each of these operations i1 repeated five times. Then comes the grading of sizes to which 1t has been reduced, and passage through purifier. which blows away the dust.
 between the smooth rolls. which partly crush it, but are carefully gauged, so thnt they will not really pulverize It, for once the flour is powdered it's life is gone. Then comes the Journey to the "boiter." and if t.-e flour Is fine enough to pass through the meshes of the boiling cloth Ca special nounced perfect and ready for market. If any kernels are too large to pass mus ter they are sent back to the rolls. and it is a case of try. try again until they are crushed fine enough to pass through tho meshes of the cloth.
 The streams of flour which constitute the output of a big modern fourfng-n.ll are constantly under close inspection. and wet and dry tests are applied every few minutes to ascertain whether or not the requisite quality is being maintained. Tho -four which is finally pronounced satisfao- tory is packed for market either in bar< rels of f96 pounds or in bags which hold from 5 to 2S0 pounds each. The barrelS are filled automatically by machines which mechanically stop the stree of flour when barrel Is full. One American mill last year shipped more than six mil> lion barrels of flour. much of 1t going to countries beyond the seas.
 wALDON FAwCETT.