11 Junk. 1917.] The Milling of Wheat. 351 



too long before being niilled, a secoiidarv acid fermentation may take 

 plaoe, baving a detrimental effect on the flavour of the flour. Tt would 

 be advi.sable, in order to have some control of this [jtocchs of condition- 

 ing, to keep a record of the quality of the wheat, the busli(d-wei,gbt befoi'e 

 and after conditioning, the length of time between damping and grind- 

 ing, file temperature during the operation, and tlie baking quality of 

 the flour. The difficulties attendant on the control and proper working 

 of tbis operation arc not so great in this State as they are where the 

 wheats are more varied in physical and chemical characteristics. 

 Local-grown wheats arc mostly of the soft-grain class, and they have 

 a fairly uniform absorption. Differing climatic conditions during the 

 season of growth will have some effect on the absorption capacity of the 

 wheat. 



Two methods are at present in use in this State for conditioning the 

 grain preparatory to milling. The more common one is by means of 

 the damping worm. The water added is regulated by a tap at the head 

 of the worm, and meets the flow of wheat, which in the onward move- 

 ment becomes thoroughly damped. After treatment in the damping 

 worm, the grain is run into the conditioning bins, and is left there suffi- 

 ciently long to enable the moisture to penetrate into the heart of the 

 berry — and this makes for as even a moLsture content as possible through- 

 out. When the desired temper is reached, the wheat is pas.sed through 

 a steamer to toughen the bran, and is then ready for the break roll. 



The modern method of treatment is deserving of more attcntioii 

 The wheat, after having been dry-cleaned as already described, is then 

 passed through a washing machine. Washing the grain has been 

 found to be the most effective manner of treating smutty or bad-smelling 

 wheats. After washing, the grain is rinsed in clean water and passed 

 throtigh a whizzer, and this operation removes most, but not all, of the 

 adhering moisture. It has, therefore, to be passed through a conditioner 

 and afterwards sent to the conditioning bin, where it is allowed to lie 

 from two to six hours. This conditioner may also be used to advantage 

 in conjunction with the usual method of damping with a worm conveyor. 



Wheat, after being conditioned, is in a sensitive state, and is liable to 

 shed some bran dust. It is, therefore, necessary to pass it; flirough a 

 brush machine to remove any dust before it reaches the break roll. 



Breaks. 



The modern roller mill is a model of fine workmanship. The frame- 

 work and mechanism are made strong to bear the great pressure .set up 

 during the grinding operations. The rolls have a chilled-iron surface 

 and a spindle of toughened steel to withstand the tensile strain. The 

 surface of the rolls is sawtoothed and fluted with grooves about half 

 the depth of the stock to be ground. The rolls are run at differential 

 speeds, and the fast one has a downward cutting edge, and the holding 

 roll a .sharp edge, against the direction of rotation. The feed gear is 

 very sensitive, and by means of a lever can be made to deal with varying 

 classes of material. The feed enters a hopper at the back of the rolls, 

 and is spread info a thin even laver by means of spring gat(>s and twin 

 rollers. The rolls are fitted with a very sensitive micrometer adjust- 

 ment, and can be set to 1-1000 of an inch. The general jiractice is to 



