IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF WHEAT FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOUR
Year: 1870

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LETTERS PATENT to Richard Allen, the younger, Gentleman, of
St. Mellons, in the County of Monmouth, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF WHEAT FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF FLOUR."
Sealed the 14th October 1870, and dated the 8th August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Allen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th August 1870.
I, RICHARD ALLEN, the younger, Gentleman, of St. Mellons, in the
County of Monmouth, do hereby declare the nature of the said:
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF WHEAT
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOUR," to be as follows:-
For its more easy comprehension I first remark that the ends of wheat*
grains contain organized matter, popularly known as "the beard and the
germ," and in the ordinary process of making flour this beard' and
germ' are ground up with the other constituent parts of the grain,
whereby the flour afterwards dressed out of such ground products is
$

page_text: injured both in respect to its strength and colour. The most effective
machines for cleaning wheat hitherto known are ineffective for denuding
the grain from the 'beard' and 'germ' as it is most desirable that it
should be, but to accomplish this is the object of my Invention. It
consists in the application of millstones with certain modifications for
grinding off the said 'beard' and germ, which operation I shall hereafter
designate "tipping and tailing." The millstones I employ are mounted
and worked as in ordinary wheat grinding mills where the lower stone is
fixed and the upper stone revolves the modifications before referred to
being first, that whereas the ordinary millstones have a great number
of furrows cut down from their grinding surfaces, technically called "the
dress," the stones for "tipping and tailing" are perfectly plain, and as
flat as they can be dressed from the eye to the skirt, having no furrows
whatever; second, that whereas ordinary millstones have generally a
porous grinding surface presenting a multitude of cavities by which the
continuity of surface on the same plane is broken or interrupted; the
stones that I employ for "tipping and tailing' require to have a
uniformly solid surface throughout, such as Scotch or Cornish granite or
Derbyshire peak presents when well dressed, the latter of which I prefer
because cheaper and more easily worked than granites. In setting up
a pair of millstones for tipping and tailing' they must be set true, and
the top stone well balanced in order to produce uniform pressure over
its entire surface when lowered in motion on the grain. Before starting
the top stone should be raised a little higher than is required for the
work, and when started and the full speed of the runner attained, and
the feed of wheat laid on the top stone is then to be lowered until the
ends of the grain discharged from the stones are denuded of their
beards and germs. The feed may be regulated either on the old plan
of the damsel and shoe,' or on any other such as 'the silent feed.'
The experience necessary for setting the stones the proper distance apart
for the work to be done is very soon acquired by any intelligent miller,
and this once done there, will be seen coming down the millspout the
tipped and tailed wheat, and with it a fine bran-like matter, but more
tufty and dingy in colour, which is composed of the beard and germ of
the wheat that has been operated upon. It now remains to separate
this from the tipped and tailed wheat, which may be done either by
running the whole direct from the millspout into a small rotating five
or six-sided sifter,covered with wove wire of a guage coarse enough to
allow the bran-like matter to pass freely through, but to retain the
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page_text: wheat until delivered at the end of the sifter, or the discharge from the
spout may be received in sacks, and sifted or winnowed in any other
way more convenient to the miller. When this separation is effected the
treatment is complete, and the wheat is ready for the manufacture of flour.
..
My experiments have been made with peak: millstones three feet six
inches diameter, but I do not confine myself to, this diameter,, nor do.
I limit myself to, the use of granite and peak for the millstones, other
stone or material not coming under such designation, whether of
natural or artificial formation having the necessary qualities may be
employed for the said object. Nor do I limit the application of my
Invention: to: mills that have the bottom stone fixed, as it is equally
applicable to mills. that have the top stone fixed; and where the lower
stone is the runner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Allen in the Great Seal Patent Office on.
the 8th February 1871..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ALLEN, the younger, Gentleman, of St. Mellons, in the County of
Monmouth, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her
Letters. Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred, and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto, me, the said Richard Allen, Her special licence that
I, the said Richard Allen, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Richard Allen, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to.
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,.
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE
TREATMENT OF WHEAT FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOUR," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Richard Allen, my executors or:
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one>
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be

page_text: performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Allen, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
For the more easy comprehension of my Invention I first remark
that the ends of wheat grain contain certain organized matter popularly
known as the "beard" and the " germ," and in the ordinary process of
making flour this beard and germ are ground up with the other constituent
parts of the grain, whereby the flour afterwards dressed out of such
ground products is injured both in respects to its strength and color.
Machines have been invented for cleaning wheat, which it was hoped
would, while freeing the grain from foreign matter, also denude it of its
beard and germ, but the most effective.cleaning machines have failed to
accomplish this. Other machines have been invented which seek to
remove the husk or bran from the whole surface of the grain of wheat;
while these are often effectual in removing the beard and germ, they
occasion waste by the removal of more or less of the flour producing parts.
of the grain with the bran.
The object of my Invention is to remove the beard and germ leaving
the other parts of the grain almost intact. For this purpose, after
cleaning the wheat in any suitable wheat cleaning machine, I subject.
it to an operation which I herein designate "tipping and tailing," and
the apparatus which I employ consists of the ordinary wheat grinding
mill fitted with millstones so modified that, first, whereas the ordinary
millstones have a great number of furrows cut down from their grinding
surfaces technically called the "dress" the stones for tipping and tailing
are perfectly plain and as flat as they can be dressed from the "eye" to
the "skirt," having no furrows whatever; second, that whereas ordinary
millstones have generally a grinding surface presenting a multitude of
cavities by which its continuity in the same plane is broken or interrupted,
the stones which I employ for tipping and tailing require to have
uniformly solid surfaces throughout, such as Scotch or Cornish granite
or Derbyshire peak presents when well faced, the latter of which I
prefer for my use because it is cheaper, more easily worked, and
answers the purpose as well as more expensive granite. In setting up

page_text: .
a pair of millstones for tipping and tailing they must be set true, and
the top stone well balanced in order to produce uniform pressure over
its entire surface when lowered in motion on the grain; a pair of stones.
thus set up and adjusted is ready for the operation of tipping and tailing.
Before starting, the top stone should be raised higher than required.
for the work, and when started, and the full speed of the runner attained,
the feed of wheat previously well cleaned laid on, the top stone is then
to be lowered until the ends of the grains discharged from the stones are
denuded of their beard and germ. The feed may be regulated either on
the old plan of the "damsel and shoe" or on any other such as the silent
feed. The experience necessary for setting the stones the proper distance
apart for the work to be done is soon acquired by any intelligent miller,
and this once done there will be seen coming down the mill spout the
tipped and tailed wheat and with it a fine bran-like matter, but more
tufty and dingy in color, which is composed of 'the beard and germ of
the wheat operated upon. It now remains to separate this from the
tipped and tailed wheat, which may be done by running the whole direct
from the mill spout into a rotating four or six-sided sifter covered with wire
wove to a gauge coarse enough to allow the bran-like matter to pass freely
through but to retain the wheat until discharged by the rotation at the
end of sifter, or the sifter may be cylindrical and fixed, having inside it an
axis furnished with brushes, or the discharge from the spouts may be
received in sacks and sifted and winnowed in any other way convenient
to the miller. When this separation has been effected the treatment is
complete and the tipped and tailed wheat is ready to be reduced to
semolina or flour by any known process. For the purpose of tipping
and tailing wheat, I employ peak millstones of four feet diameter with
the periphery running at a rate of 1600 feet per minute, but I do not
confine myself to this particular diameter or speed for the millstone,
nor to any given size of the eye, neither do I limit myself to the use
of peak or granite, other stones or other material not coming under such
designation, whether of natural or artificial formation, having the necessary
qualities may be employed for the same object whenever found to be
more convenient, nor do I limit the application of my Invention to mills
that have the bottom stone fixed, as it is equally applicable to mills that
have the top stone fixed and where the bottom stone is the runner.
Having thus fully described my Invention, and shewn how the same
may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim

page_text: the application of flat faced millstones of various materials as herein
described for the purpose of tipping and tailing wheat before reducing it
to flour.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Allen, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of February, in the year of {
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
JOSEPH ALLEN,
of St. Mellons.
RICHARD ALLEN, JUNIOR. (L.S.)