One Thousand Ways to Make a Living; or, An Encyclopædia of Plans to Make Money

this occupation? In the United States there are about 7,000 merchant mills grinding wheat flour. Their total output is about 120,000,000 barrels per year. They require about 550,000,000 bushels of wheat. Thus it is seen that to produce 1 barrel of flour about 4.7 bushels of wheat must be milled. Milling may be quite simple or most complicated, depending upon the kind and size of mill operated and the quality of the flour to be made. A good sized mill will require men to perform the following kinds of work here described. It should be stated, right here, that several of these occupations may be carried on by one and the same man, especially in the smaller mills. UNLOADER[46] _Description_: The unloader unloads the wheat or other flour products from the cars by use of the power scoop, shovel, or other means. _Qualifications_: He must be physically strong and have good lungs. [46] These descriptions are taken from the pamphlet entitled “Descriptions of Occupations in Flour Milling,” published by the Department of Labor. UNLOADER FOREMAN _Description_: The foreman unloader directs the work of the gang which unloads the wheat from the cars. He must plan their work according to the number of cars and keep records of the car numbers. _Qualifications_: Ordinary strength and ability. He should have worked as unloader. _Schooling_: He must have education enough to keep simple records. LOADER _Kindred occupation_: Unloader. _Description_: The loader, under the direction of the loader foreman, loads bags, boxes, and barrels of the finished products into cars. _Qualifications_: He should be able to load cars so that goods will not be damaged in transit. He must be physically strong and have good lungs. LOADER FOREMAN _Description_: The loader foreman directs the work of the loading gang. He plans his work according to the size and capacity of the cars, sees that the cars are properly loaded, and keeps such records as are necessary. _Qualifications_: He should have worked as a loader and should have executive ability sufficient to direct a gang of laborers. _Schooling_: Common school. ELEVATOR MAN _Description_: The elevator man carries out the instructions of the foreman, seeing that wheat flows through the proper spouts into proper bins for storage. He keeps a record of the wheat stored and delivered, and is responsible for delivering and reporting all the trouble with elevator machinery or spouts. This latter is his chief responsibility. _Qualifications_: Should have had previous milling experience. Ordinary ability. Strong lungs to withstand the dust. _Schooling_: Common school. ELEVATOR FOREMAN _Description_: The elevator foreman is responsible for and is in charge of taking the wheat into the elevator. He inspects the wheat for correct dockage and directs the storage of the wheat according to the grade or quality. He keeps a record of receipts of wheat, of the tests, the weights, and of the disposition of the various lots. Where dockage is necessary he holds the cars for adjustment. This position is one of the most responsible in the flour mill. _Qualifications_: Executive ability; knowledge of weights and measures. He must be a skilled grader of wheat by sight and feel. Must be able to keep records and figures and percentages. Should have a thorough knowledge of the Federal and State grades. _Schooling_: Common school; preferably high school. BLENDER _Description_: The blender mixes different grades of wheat flour, or wheat flour and coarse-grain flour in designated proportions. _Qualifications_: He must understand the character of the different grades of wheat flour and coarse-grain flours, and must know how to combine the various grades of flour in proper proportions. _Schooling_: Common school; preferably high school. ROLL TENDER--CLEANING MACHINE TENDERS _Kindred Occupation_: Oiler. _Description_: The roll tender must see that all oil and grease cups about the milling rolls are filled and that all the bearings and boltings are properly lubricated. He keeps his machinery wiped clean of dust and grease and reports any mechanical trouble to the miller or the millwright. Men are always employed. _Qualifications_: He must be intelligent and active and have some mechanical ability. _Schooling_: Common school. OILER _Kindred occupation_: Roll tender. _Description_: The oiler must see that all oil and grease cups about the shafting and milling machinery are filled and that all bearings are being properly lubricated. He keeps his machinery wiped clean of dust and grease, and reports any mechanical trouble to the miller or millwright. Calls for considerable climbing overhead. _Qualifications_: He must be active and have some mechanical ability. _Schooling_: Common school. SWEEPER _Description_: The sweeper keeps the floors clean of flour, wheat, and dust and keeps the machines clean. This necessitates climbing on ladders and running boards. _Qualifications_: Ordinary ability and strong lungs to withstand the large amount of dust. SMUTTER _Description_: The smutter prepares the wheat for grinding into flour by running it over separators to screen out foreign matter. He must examine the stock for dirt, determine whether the screening is resulting in waste of wheat, and make adjustments in his machine to secure the proper screening. He also supervises the work of the sweepers, oilers, and helpers on his floor. _Qualifications_: He should have strong lungs to withstand dust. Should have mechanical ability and must understand the screening of wheat and adjusting of the machines. _Schooling_: Common school. GRINDER _Description_: The grinder has charge of the milling rolls. He sets his machine or adjusts the rolls for grinding, watches the process to see that proper operation goes on, and tests the stock occasionally to make sure that it is being ground properly. This work is done practically on one floor, with very little climbing. _Qualifications_: Must have strong lungs to withstand the dust. He must be an experienced grinder of wheat. Must know how to set his machine and know by testing when the grinding is being properly done. _Schooling_: Common school. BOLTER AND PURIFIER _Description_: The bolter sifts the wheat stock in the sifting machines, tests the broken wheat stock as it comes from the grinder, and adjusts the feed slides and keeps the machines in proper operation so that they will take in only as much stock as it can properly sift. He must sometimes inform the grinder as to the proper fineness of the stock. He does not fix or oil his machine, but must understand its mechanism. The work is dusty. Mostly floor work, but some climbing on ladders and running boards. _Qualifications_: Ordinary ability. Strong lungs. He must be experienced in operating the bolting machine; must understand the testing of the broken wheat stock and the adjustment of slides controlling the feed. MILLER, SECOND OR TRICK MILLER _Description_: The second miller acts for the miller in overseeing all of the processes in cleaning, grinding, and bolting. He plans the work and teaches new men. He is required to figure and keep a record of the yield of flour and feed. He has full charge during the absence of the head miller. _Qualifications_: Should have strong lungs to withstand the dust. Since he is in line for promotion to head miller, he should have the same qualifications. The loss of one or more limbs or an eye, or being afflicted with rheumatism would prove a serious handicap to an operative miller, particularly while in training, as an apprentice is required to do considerable climbing. No tubercular person should try to become a miller. _Schooling_: Common school; preferably high school. MILLER, HEAD _Kindred occupations_: Second miller. _Description_: The head miller is responsible for all the processes of milling, for the output, and for the grade of flour produced. He must have a thorough knowledge of all processes of milling and of wheat grading. _Qualifications_: He must have a thorough knowledge of all milling machinery and of the “flow” of the mill. He should have worked as second miller for several years. This is a very highly skilled occupation, and requires a great deal of trade knowledge, mechanical ability, and executive ability. Good strong lungs. See disqualifications for second miller. _Schooling_: Common school; preferably high school. SPOUTER _Description_: The spouter is responsible for the uninterrupted flow of flour and feed stock through the spouts, and it is his duty to see that all valves, slides, etc., are in their proper position. _Qualifications_: He should have a thorough knowledge of the flow of the mill and be able to remedy choke-ups or spouting troubles with the quickest possible dispatch. The work requires skill and mechanical ability, and requires a man who has worked in other milling positions. He should be intelligent, active, a good observer, and should have good lungs. _Schooling_: Common school. PACKER _Description_: The packer tends the machine which fills the bag, packages, and barrels with the finished product. Men are employed when the product is packed into large bags and barrels. Women are employed when the small packages and cartons are filled. _Qualifications_: He must be able to weigh skillfully and rapidly and when filling bags he must be able to use the bag needle with skill and be able to operate a bag-closing machine. He should also be able to insert barrel heads quickly when filling barrels. He should be able to make minor repairs and adjustments. He should be able to keep records and make simple computations of the stock packed. He must be intelligent and strong physically. _Schooling_: Common school. PACKER FOREMAN _Kindred occupation_: Packer. _Description_: The packer foreman has charge of the work of the packers. He is responsible for the proper packing of the product and the proper weight of the bags, packages, and barrels. _Qualifications_: Ordinary strength. He should have had experience as a packer. He must be able to figure and render accurate account of the output of the machine under his supervision. He must have the ability to make adjustments and repairs on the machines. _Schooling_: Common school. TRUCKER _Description_: The trucker pushes or pulls trucks of flour or feed from the packers to the warehouse or to the cars, or from the warehouse to the cars; also performs other general labor about the warehouse or cars as directed by the warehouse foreman. _Qualifications_: Good physical strength. MILLWRIGHT _Kindred occupations_: Spouter. _Description_: The millwright is responsible for the upkeep of the mill in general and for all trouble with the spouting, milling machinery, and equipment. He repairs, installs, or takes out machinery, equipment, or spouting under direction of the head miller. _Qualifications_: He must be a highly skilled wood and sheet metal worker, and must have a general knowledge of all the milling processes. He should have had experience as carpenter, metal worker, and spouter, also knowledge of belting, and machine repairing. He should have good lungs. _Schooling_: Common school. SACK MAN _Description_: The sack man has complete charge of the stock of unfilled flour and feed sacks, bags, cartons, and barrels. It is his duty to keep the packers supplied with the proper kind and number of sacks, bags, cartons, and barrels. _Qualifications_: He must be able to render reports of the supplies received and used, and to render accurate inventory of the supplies on hand. He must be intelligent, accurate, and attentive to duty. _Schooling_: Common school. SACK SEWER _Description_: The sack sewer repairs sacks by hand or on a sewing machine, and does other required sewing. _Qualifications_: He must be able to do plain hand sewing or use a sewing machine. WAREHOUSE FOREMAN _Kindred occupation_: Packer foreman. _Description_: The warehouse foreman has charge of the warehouse and has general supervision of all truckers and packers. He superintends the loading of all cars, and issues packing instructions to the packer foreman. He must keep strict account of all cars placed at the warehouse for loading and unloading, and must be able to make out various reports, such as those relating to the loading of cars, the delivery of goods, and the inventory of stock. _Qualifications_: This position is one of responsibility and requires a responsible man who has executive ability and who has had previous high-grade warehouse experience. He must have a high degree of intelligence and be physically strong. _Schooling_: Common school; preferably high school. TRICK MILLER, OR SECOND MILLER _Description_: Supervises the mill on a particular watch; responsible to the head miller; takes the lead in adjusting trouble at any particular point; presence required in all parts of the mill. _Qualifications_: Like those for miller. _Schooling_: Common school. The following occupations--unloader, loader, elevator man, sweeper, smutter, sack man, trucker--may be classified as unskilled, and the men who work in these occupations work under immediate direction of their foreman. The following occupations--unloader foreman, loader foreman, elevator foreman, warehouse foreman--may also be considered unskilled, but they are filled by men who are able to direct operations of the first group. The oiler, roll tender, blender, grinder, bolter, spouter, packer, packer foreman, sack sewer, and millwright work under the immediate direction of the second miller in mills of 500 to 1,000 barrel capacity. In smaller mills, however, much of the work listed under these various occupations is done by the miller himself. Mills of less than 500 barrels per day have no second miller, and in that case much of the actual work described in the above occupations is done by the head miller. Wherever there is a second miller, as in the case of the very large mills, he generally takes direction of the mill during the night shift. Men interested in milling should start preferably in small mills of about 300 barrels’ capacity, or less, and work in such mills for one to two years in order to become fully acquainted with each of the processes listed in the various occupations. If employment is secured in a large mill there will be very little opportunity to do any of the diversified work as in all such mills the work is more highly specialized. PHYSICAL DISABILITIES The description of the various occupations given above answers several questions regarding the schooling and necessary qualifications. Milling is entirely an indoors occupation and one which should not be undertaken by any person affected with tuberculosis. A miller should be agile and capable of endurance. Many of the occupations in the mill require considerable climbing and walking, making it a serious handicap for a person who has lost a limb (unless he has become expert in the use of an artificial leg) or for one who is afflicted with rheumatism. Generally speaking, the loss of an eye would not interfere, nor would dullness of hearing. The loss of an arm would only interfere in certain occupations and not in all. This is true especially if the person has an artificial hand provided with a hook or other holding device and for the more simple occupations and manipulations. Stiffness of the arm and incomplete movements of the joints of the arm or fingers would, if considerable, disqualify a man for general employment in the milling industry. Men affected with shell shock might be able to do good work in a mill. Minor injuries, such us the loss of a finger or toe, or facial injuries, need not interfere with a man’s ability to do any kind of work in a flour mill. When a person has mastered the milling business he may be a successful miller, even though he has lost an arm. One of the best millers in this country has only one arm. _What training and education are required and what may reasonably be expected in the form of wages or salary?_--A portion of this question has already been answered. A high-school training is the most that is essential, although many of our best millers have far less education than that. As for the other occupations in the mill a common-school education will, for the most part, suffice for all necessary purposes. The training, however, depends necessarily upon the nature of the position and the responsibility which a man must assume. To become a good head miller a man should have some theoretical training for a year or two and then an opportunity for practice. To take charge of the flour packer no great amount of training is essential. Practically no education is necessary for many of the occupations found in a mill. To be a second miller, from three to nine months’ training in a trade school followed by experience as an apprentice are required. The man with a good training would certainly have an advantage especially when qualifying for the position of head miller in a large mill. WHERE TO GET TRAINING IN MILLING There are very few schools in this country where educational courses relating to milling are given. The three best known are connected with the Kansas Agricultural College at Manhattan, Kans., and with State College at State College, Pa., also the Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, Oreg. Each of these schools has a small mill of about 75 barrels daily capacity, fitted however, with all the machinery generally found in a large mill. The training in milling, as given in these schools requires four years and leads to the degree of bachelor of science in milling engineering. A collegiate preparatory schooling is generally required for entrance and the studies pursued are equivalent to those found in the ordinary college course. As a rule the course includes mathematics, milling technique, free-hand and mechanical drawing, chemistry and physics, languages, etc. The course is indeed a regular four-year university engineering course, greater emphasis being laid upon the engineering problems relating to milling technology and mill design. A man may obtain a fair knowledge of milling, however, in a trade school in three months, and if this is followed by experience as an apprentice for two or three years, he may reasonably expect to qualify as a miller. He should have at least an eighth-grade schooling. A good miller should have an understanding of flour-mill machinery, chemical and physical properties of wheat and flour. This requires considerable school training or a long apprenticeship. The best kind of training, however, for most men striving to become millers is an apprentice in a mill, working in each of the various occupations until a knowledge of all the milling processes is fundamentally and thoroughly learned. Such training might best be obtained in a small mill where an apprentice would be required to do the work of a number of different occupations. In this way money is being earned at the same time as a profession is being learned. Very little preparatory schooling is required, when milling is learned as an apprentice. The salaries paid to millers run anywhere from $125 per month to several thousand dollars per year. The wages of the various occupations of the milling industry are commensurate with those in similar industries. The less skilled occupations pay laborers’ wages, while occupations requiring skill pay more. It should always be remembered that a worker in any occupation in a mill has a legitimate ambition if he strives to become a head miller. The head miller in any one of our large mills making anywhere over 1,000 barrels of flour per day is in a position of great trust and responsibility and he should be a man of absolute honesty and integrity and a leader of men. Such men command very high salaries. There are 150 mills in the United States with a daily capacity of over 500 barrels. These are the mills whose millers command the large salaries. There are about 1,200 mills, however, with a capacity of over 100 barrels and all of these employ millers and millers’ assistants. With such a large number of mills employing head millers and second millers, the chances for promotion must be considered good. Promotions, however, depend much upon the efficiency of the miller. To acquire and to maintain a certain degree of efficiency, it is helpful if one will become connected with organizations of millers, and if one will read books and journals on milling, and thus keep abreast of the times. One should not expect promotion too rapidly. If you apply yourself diligently to any of the occupations in the milling industry, and if you show a disposition to learn you will find that “it’s a long trench that has no turning” toward your goal. Do not be like the “lazy loon that wants no learning” and is satisfied to remain untrained and unearning. Your Government is willing to finance you while you are learning, so there is every inducement for you to get into the milling game, if you feel any aptitude for this work. The hours of labor in the various occupations in a mill are gradually being standardized to those of union labor in general; the head miller, however, who has considerable responsibility, does not as a rule limit his working hours to eight. There are some 21 mills in this country with a daily capacity between 5,000 and 10,000 barrels. The millers of these mills must necessarily have splendid personal qualifications, as well as training. That he must be a leader of men goes without saying. He must be able to win the confidence and best co-operation of his assistants. He must be imbued with a love for his work; must have an aptitude for milling; capable of planning, resourceful and observant; a good mechanic and have sound judgment. Each one who aspires to become a head miller must develop these qualifications. To be successful in any occupation in the mill one should be industrious and willing to learn. The earnings of a mill are largely determined by the miller. Ordinarily about 4.5 bushels of wheat, or 270 pounds, will suffice to make a barrel of flour. If a miller can succeed in making a barrel of an equally good flour by the use of less wheat, say 267.5 pounds, he is just that much more valuable than his competitor who can not obtain the same result. A saving of even 2.5 pounds of wheat per barrel of flour, in a 1,000-barrel mill, would mean the saving of 2,500 pounds or 42 bushels of wheat per day. Flour milling may justly be recognized as one of the most essential professions. Most of the milling is carried on in the great wheat belt, situated for the most part in the great central, north central, and Pacific coast regions of this country. The following States are the great wheat producers: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Washington, Montana, Texas, Michigan, Nebraska, Idaho, Colorado, and Oregon. These States produce about 80 per cent of the whole wheat crop of the United States. In the following States most of the flour is milled: Minnesota, New York, Kansas, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee, California, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Washington. There are an appreciable number of mills along our Atlantic coast and on the Great Lakes, due to special facilities of transportation. The foregoing would indicate that the need for millers is very urgent. Formerly a high-school boy was perfectly willing to begin his milling career as an apprentice, but the low salary or wages paid to an apprentice is no longer attracting this class of young men. Now, however, that the Government is showing a disposition to finance the returning soldier through college or through the period of apprenticeship, the milling trade should prove very attractive. The need for millers is becoming more urgent every day, and a trained miller will have no difficulty in finding a good position. PLAN No. 1247. BAKING This monograph was prepared by J. A. LeClerc, chemist in charge of the laboratory of plant chemistry, Bureau of Chemistry, Department of Agriculture. Acknowledgment is due B. R. Jacobs and E. E. Smith, of the Bureau of Chemistry, and Prof. C. H. Bailey, of the University of Minnesota for assistance in the preparation of this monograph. WHAT IS BAKING? Baking is one of the most ancient, widespread, useful, and highly honored occupations. All classes and grades of bakeries are to be found even to-day from the most primitive, such as those among the Indians of this country and of South America, and those among the native tribes of Africa and other undeveloped countries, up to the most highly developed modern bakery, examples of which are to be found in most of our large cities, in which almost every step in the operation is by machinery, the hands of man scarcely touching the product at any stage. In every large city of the country are to be found bakers who employ a large number of men to carry on the various occupations connected with the industry. Every small town has at least one baker, but a small baker generally carries on, himself, each and every occupation connected with the shop. WHAT DOES THE BAKER DO? A baker’s business is to make bread by first making a dough with flour, water, salt, and yeast (with or without sugar, malt extract, milk, lard, etc.), allowing this dough to ferment, and then placing this fermented dough in an oven to bake it into bread. In general the following amounts of ingredients are used per barrel of flour: Flour 196 pounds, water 118 pounds, salt 8 pounds, sugar 6 pounds, yeast 2 pounds. Besides these essential ingredients some bakers add 2 to 3 pounds malt extract, 2 to 4 pounds milk or milk products and 3 to 4 pounds of lard or other shortening. A barrel of flour made into dough containing most of these ingredients will make about 282 to 290 one-pound loaves of bread when baked. Baking is quite a diversified business. There are many kinds of bakers or, rather it might be said, that bakers make many different kinds of products, e. g., bread, pies, cakes, crackers, etc. The term “baker,” as generally used, however, refers to bread bakers. HOW MANY BAKERS ARE THERE? In the United States there are some 30,000 commercial bakers of whom about 3,000 to 4,000 have an output of 70 to 75 per cent of the baking business of the country. Besides these commercial bakers, found in every city of any size in the country, bakeries are also to be found in many large hotels and restaurants, and these number many thousands more. These bakeries are of such size, indeed, that a head baker and an assistant baker, besides many workmen, are engaged in the different occupations. There are many bakeries in this country who make daily from 50,000 to 100,000 loaves of bread. This requires the use of approximately 170 to 340 barrels of flour every day. Some bakers use five times that amount of flour. One of the largest bakeries in France, in connection with the American Expeditionary Forces, was said to be capable of turning out 1,000,000 loaves per day. The number of bakeries in the United States making over five thousand one-pound loaves per day is very large, and these are the ones which especially require the services of a master baker as well as of several other trained employees. VALUE OF BAKERY PRODUCTS At the time of the last census there were over 120,000 men employed in the baking industry and the total output of the product from all kinds of bakeries was estimated to be valued at $400,000,000. Since that time, however, the output of the commercial labor has increased by leaps and bounds. To-day the commercial baker makes fully one-half of the bread consumed in the country, which is a relatively much larger amount than was made even 10 years ago. During the war, bread was advertised as was no other commodity. Besides this, the housewife found very great difficulty in making a satisfactory bread with the use of such a large amount of flour substitutes as the Food Administration required. This compelled many housewives to buy baker’s bread--housewives who had never before used baker’s bread. The habit thus formed has in many cases proved permanent, and thus has resulted in a largely increased demand for baker’s bread. * * * * * These facts show the importance of the baking industry, and show furthermore that the need for bakers is constantly growing and indeed is most urgent. It should not be difficult for any returning soldier who desires to make a specialty of baking to find employment near his own home, particularly if he lives in a large city. WHERE DO BAKERS WORK? Bakers formerly almost universally worked in basements, many of them dark and unsanitary. The basement bakery is, in fact, not entirely done away with yet, but such as remain are small and unimportant. To-day the bakers of each city are vieing with each other to see who can put up the most attractive, the most “sunlit,” and sanitary bakery. The consequence is that practically all large important bakeries are built high up, with abundance of air and sunlight. This makes the work much more attractive, agreeable, and healthful than was formerly the case. The conditions of work for bakers are thus improving rapidly and are fully on a par with, if indeed they are not better than, those of other important industries. DESCRIPTION OF OCCUPATIONS IN A BAKERY There are a number of occupations connected with the baking industry, among which may be mentioned truckers, blending-machine tenders, mixers, machine hands, bench hands, oven men, packers, and shipping clerks, salesmen, clerks, and the engineers. The classification in the following table shows the character of occupations, the work required, the qualifications, wages, hours of labor, physical requirements, and training of the men: ==================+========================+=========================+ Occupation. |Character of occupation.| Work requires. | | | | ------------------+------------------------+-------------------------+