98 



eight pounders and mill 96 bushels daily, or 26f barrels, of paddy rioe, 

 at a cost of about 2 cents per barrel, which is more than paid for by 

 the offal. In cities steam power is used and the number of poundera 

 greatly increased, but the process is practically unchanged. 



COMMERCIAL RICE MILLING. 



The usual process, — The processes of milling rice are quite compli- 

 oated. The paddy is first screened to remove trash and foreign par- 

 ticles. The hulls, or chaff, are removed by rapidly revolving milling 

 stones" set about two-thirds of the length of a rice grain apart. The 

 product goes over horizontal screens and blowers, which separate the 

 light chaff and the whole and broken kernels. The grain is now of a 

 mixed yellow and white color. To remove the outer skin the grain is 

 put in huge mortars holding from 4 to 6 bushels each and pounded with, 

 pestles weighing 350 to 400 pounds. Strange to say, the heavy weight 

 of the pestle breaks very little grain. 



When sufficiently decorticated, the contents of the mortars, consist- 

 ing now of flour, fine chaff, and clean rice of a dull, filmy, creamy color, 

 are removed to the flour screens, where the flour is sifted out. Froin 

 thence the rice and fine chaff, go to the fine-chaff fan, where the fine 

 chaff is blown out and mixed with the other flour. The rice flour, as 

 we call it, or more properly "'rice meal," as our English neighbours call 

 it, is very valuable as stock feed, being rich in carbohydrates as well 

 as albuminoids. 



From the fine-chaff fan the rice goes to the cooling bins, rendered 

 necessary by the heavy frictional process through which it has just 

 passed. It is allowed to remain here for eight or nine hours, and thea 

 passes to the brush screens, whence the smallest rice and what little 

 flour is left pass down one siie and the larger rice down the other. 



The grain is now clean and ready for the last process — polishing. 

 This is necessary to give the rice its pearly lustre, and it makes all the 

 difference imaginable in its appearance. The polishing is effected by 

 friction against the rice of pieces of moose hide or sheepskin tanned 

 and worked to a wonderful degree of softness, loosely tacked around a 

 double cylinder of wood and wire gauze. From the polishers the rice 

 goes to the separating screens, composed of different sizes of gauze, 

 where it is divided into its appropriate grades. It is then barrelled 

 and is ready for market. 



An improved process — In mills more recently erected the foregoing^ 

 process has been modified by substituting the " huUer" for the mortar 

 and pounder. The huUer is a short, cast iron, horizontal tube with 

 interior ribs and funnel at one end to admit the rice. Wit!hin this 

 tube revolves a shaft with ribs. These ribs are so adjusted that the 

 revolution of the shaft creates the friction necessary to remove the 

 cuticle. The rice passes out of the huller at the end opposite the fun- 

 nel, Jt resembles externally a large sausage machine. It requiries six 

 huUers for each set of burs. The automatic sacker and weigher is 

 used instead of barrelling, sacks being preferred for shipping the cleaned 

 rice. Sheepskins are used for polishing. 



With the above modification ot the milling processes considerable 

 reduction has been made in the cost of the mill. Mills of a daily capac- 

 ity of 60,000 pounds of clean rice can now be constructed at a total 

 •cost of S10,000 to 815,000. 



