The earliest mills, like the Spocott Windmill, were post mills in which the entire mill housing pivots on a central post. Dorchester also had tower and smock mills in which only the building cap rotated into the wind. Every major farming area had a mill for grinding grain into meal, which was used for breads and for baking. In a post mill, the steps act as an anchor, and after raising them, the entire mill can be turned by pushing the wheel at the end of the long tailpole. Three halyards are used to raise a sail on each blade, much like raising a sail on a sailboat. When the wind turns the blades, the main shaft also rotates, turning the large toothed gear inside. As it rotates, the toothed gear turns another gear that is connected to the upper of the two large millstones. Grain is fed into the two stones to be ground into meal, and the distance between the two stones can be adjusted to change the coarseness of the meal.