68 THE STOCKFEEDER'S COMPANION 



The blended wheat is often washed and afterwards 

 dried before it passes on to the series of roller-mills, 

 consisting of about five in number. The first roller- 

 mill gives a coarse " break," the second somewhat finer, 

 while the last gives a very fine " break." All through 

 the process the kernel is being separated from the bran 

 and lighter portions of the grain by screening and 

 currents of air. 



Up to the second or even third breaks, the broken 

 pieces of kernel, called " semolina," are kept separate 

 from the rest and used for making the finest flour, as a 

 whiter flour is obtained from the semolina. 



The flour is separated from the middlings and bran 

 by " silks," gauzes, and screens. Flour being the finest, 

 passes through the finest silks ; while the bran, being 

 coarsest, stops on the screens, the middlings coming 

 between in coarseness. At an early stage the 

 "semolina" and germ are separated by sieves or 

 gauzes, the latter remaining on twenty wires to the 

 inch, while the former goes through. In " standard " 

 flour the germ was added to the flour. It is usual, 

 however, to include the germ with the coarse middlings 

 (sharps). 



In the roller-mill process 65 to 75 per cent, of 

 dressed wheat appears as flour, about 14 to 20 per cent, 

 as bran, and 5 per cent, as middlings. The flour would 

 be graded during the process into extra superfine, 

 30 per cent; superfine, 45 per cent; and fine, 25 per 

 cent. Flour contains about 10 per cent, albuminoids, 75 

 per cent, carbohydrates, and I per cent, fat 



Pine Middlings (Seconds'). These consist of the finest 

 portion of the milling offals, and contain albuminoids, 15 

 per cent. ; oil, 3 \ per cent ; carbohydrates, 62 per cent ; 

 and fibre, 5 per cent. These have a rather " binding " 



