268 THE CHEMISTRY OF CATTLE FEEDING 



In the four-break system, now generally employed, the 

 grain is first broken into halves. These are then passed suc- 

 cessively through two other sets of rollers by means of which 

 the endosperm is separated from the outer portion and broken 

 into smaller pieces. These fragments of the wheat kernel are 

 technically known as semolina. 1 They are sifted and graded 

 and finally ground into flour, of which at least two qualities- 

 seconds or baker's flour, and patents or finest white flour 

 are generally produced. The germ is usually removed in the 

 course of grinding the semolina. 



In each of the first three breaks a certain amount of the 

 endosperm is inevitably reduced to the condition of flour. 

 This is separated from the semolina by sifting and fanning, 

 but as it contains a considerable amount of husky matter and 

 some of the aleurone portion, and these are not easily eliminated, 

 it is treated as offal, i,e. it is sold for cattle feeding under the 

 name of fine pollards, middlings, or toppings. 



The fourth or last break has for its object to clean out the 

 remains of the endosperm from the skins of the grain as 

 thoroughly as possible. The latter is separated and sifted 

 into two grades known respectively as coarse pollards or 

 sharps and bran. The three offals differ from each other 

 chiefly in regard to the relative proportions of endosperm, 

 skin, and husk which they contain. Middlings or toppings is 

 the finest, and bran the coarsest. 



The chief products of wheat milling may be tabulated as 

 follows : 



Wheat grain 



Bran. 

 Offals \ Coarse pollards or sharps. 



B'ine pollards, middlings, or toppings. 



Germ. 



erf Seconds, baker's, or ordinary household flour. 

 la \Patents, or finest white flour. 



The roller mills yield a larger percentage of the more 



1 The breakfast cereal commonly sold under that name is an entirely 

 different product. It is prepared from certain special, hard, i.e. highly 

 nitrogenous wheats, the flour of which is mixed to a paste with water, 

 dried and then ground to a coarse meal. It is, in effect, unmoulded 

 macaroni or spaghetti. 



