50,000 LOAVES A DAY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 16, 15 April 1908, Page 48

50,000 LOAVES A DAY.

The monster bakery at Essen, the Krupp ironworks in Germany, is a vast building, in which 70 workmen, divided into two shifts, work night and day. Everything is done by machinery. A gigantic screw turns unceasingly in a kneading trough, which holds at one time ten sacks of flour of about 2001 b. each, and the necessary water. Every day this machine makes about 25,000 small loaves and 25,000 large loaves, produced by 230 sacks of flour. All the operations of bread-making are performed in this colossal bakery. The wheat arrives there, is cleaned, ground, and brought automatically to the kneading trough by a series of rising and decreasing pipes. There are 36 double ovens, and the workmen who watch over the baking of the bread earn about 3/9 during a period of 11 hours. In addition, they are supplied with coffee and bread free. 4 4 4 A COLONY OF SIX-TOED PEOPLE. A unique colony of six-toed people is to be found in Maine (U.S.A.). Starting some generations back, intermarriage has apparently reproduced the deformity until there are few families free of the freak foot. Some of the afflicted ones—for the extra toe interferes with wearing ordinary boots—have resorted to surgery to remove the distinction which sets them apart as abnormal folk. Tradition has it that some ancestor several generations ago settled in this vicinity, and while at work in the woods split a toe with an axe, and, instead of adhering, the two parts separated, and in the course of time, as the generation passed, the sixth toe made its appearance in a more perfect form. The theory, however, will not be accepted by scientists. The sixth toe is an offshoot from fl: .■ little toe jot the ordinary foot. ' It is perfect in shape, although it is not always in alignment with the other five toes of the foot. 4 4. 4 TURKISH COFFEE.

Writing To the “Times of India,” from Constantinople, Mr. David Fraser, who was the victim of an attack by robbers in Asia Minor, gives an interesting description of the right way to make Turkish coffee. He says: The bean itself should be freshly ground, for coffee soon loses flavour. If shut up in a tin coffee keeps fairly well, but the connoisseur likes it new ground every day. As to the grinding, the little handmills used in England are useless, for the coffee to be made in Turkish fashion must be ground absolutely to flour. A hole in a stone and a heavy iron pestle are the usual instruments in Turkey. The important thing is fine grinding. The Turkish cup is very tiny, and contains no more than a small mouthful. For each cup to be served a big teaspoonful of coffee should be used, and the measure of water should be about

a tablespoonful. The Turks use a little metal pot with a long handle, tall-. shaped so as to permit boiling up. When' the water in this utensil boils the coffee is put in and stirred up. The pot is then replaced on the fire. In less than a minute the water boils again and brown froth rises to the top. The coffee is then ready, and should be poured into the cup. Usually several small cup 4 are made at onee, and the one poured out first is regarded by Turks as the cream of the brew. This, however, isj always floury to the taste and not preferred by Europeans, who like the after cups, in which the sediment settles if allowed to stand for a moment. Arabs never use sugar; but in Turkey you always order without, with little, or with much sugar. The medium kind is preferred by Europeans, and consists of half the quantity of sugar to coffee, put into the water to boil with the coffee. This may seem very sweet, but the coffee is so strong that it is not usually found to be too much. 4 4 4 TONING TRANSPARENCIES. In the course of an article on window, transparencies, Mr. J. Bartlett tells the readers of the "Bulletin of Photography” (Philadelphia) of some new toning solutions. His advice is that the glass positive or transparency be first toned in a weak gold bath, say 1 grain to 4 ounces of water; then rinse and immerse in the following: Bichloride of mercury J ounce, chloride copper 4 ounce, hydrochloric acid 5 drops, water 16 ounces. Rock the plate till it bleaches slightly. Wash for five minutes, then darken in ammonia water—l to 16 if a dark tone is wanted; if a lighter tone is desired, in a 10 per cent sulphite of soda solution. In like manner a rich russet tone may be obtained by developing the image until the detail is thoroughly out, washing without fixing, and placing in the above bleaching bath (mercury and copper). The image should be allowed to entirely disappear; the plate well washed; then place in hypo and sulphite of soda until the image is restored, and the plate is fixed and finally washed. Another method is as follows:—After fixation the positive is placed in a bath! constituted as follows:' lodide of iron 1 drachm, water 16 ounces, iodine (alcoholic tincture) 6 to 8 drops. This gives an opalescent effect, and the image is of a beautiful rose tint. ♦ 4- 4' '’ 4 ’ INSOLUBLE CARBON TISSUE. ! In developing carbon prints, tissue that has been rendered partially insoluble by over-exposure or long keeping should ba treated to a bath of caustic soda dissolved in water. A strength of about 1 per cent is all that is required, and an immersion of a second or two in such a' bath will be found all that is needed. On returning a print so treated to the developing solution, it will generally ba found to act as though normally exposed.