How a Grist Mill works?

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Gristmill Animation

;One of the most important old buildings is the Grist Mill. It is 250 years old and It has many different uses. One of them is grinding grains such as wheat, rye, oat and or barely into flour and meal. Many early water wheels were enclosed inside of the building or under roof for protection from winter's snow and ice. When corn is milled into corn meal the bran is sifted out to make bolted corn meal. There are two types of mills or milling operations. Custom mills is most often referred to as grist mill. These mills operate seasonally with the harvest. Custom mills grind grains individually for farmers and other individuals. The miller is paid for his services of milling by collecting a toll. A toll is a portion of the grain brought to the mill for grinding. The machinery of the mill is simple, often only one pair of millstones, but sometimes two pairs of millstones are found in the mill. The other type of mill is a merchant mill. A merchant mill Is a commercial milling operation. The miller or millers is generally not the person or persons who own the mill or constructed it. This mill grinds grain and produces flour for profit and for export. This mill does not grind grains individually for farmers and other individuals. It grinds wheat and produces white flour packaged into barrels, rather than a custom mill that would grind sacks of grain.

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