i 54 THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



is all done by machinery. We are here shown 

 several purifiers and dust collectors also. There 

 is so much noise that it is hard to hear expla- 

 nations. But we are interested in the dust collec- 

 tor, for we have read that in the old-time mills 

 there were disastrous explosions caused by the 

 fine flour dust which filled the air. We resolve 

 that later we shall find out more about this. 



Now we hurry down to the other floors to see 

 the processes of reduction. Two floors are occu- 

 pied by mills and screeners or scalpers. As we 

 pass along we see them labeled: ist break, 2d 

 break, ist middlings, and so forth, each machine 

 in turn labeled to indicate its special function. 

 We watch the material through a glass window 

 as it comes in to each machine ; and, by opening 

 a small door below, we catch some of the product 

 as it leaves and note what change has taken place. 

 We find that the products are transferred from 

 floor to floor by conveyers. Very few assistants 

 are about. We see one going from place to place 

 and are told that he is making tests. The flour- 

 is tested at every stage of the process, for it must 

 be uniform from day to day. 



Then we are taken to see the bolting. At first 

 we are afraid to enter the room for the shaking 

 bolters make us dizzy. We soon get used to 

 them, however, and immediately become inter- 

 ested in the silk bolting cloth which the miller is 



