126 FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABRIDGED 



middlings comprise the finer bran particles with considerable flour 

 adhering. Shorts too often consist of ground-over bran and the 

 sweepings and dirt of the mills, along wnth ground or unground weed 

 seeds. Flour or white middlings are of somewhat higher grade than 

 standard middlings, for they contain considerable low-grade flour and 

 carry slightly more crude protein and less fiber. Middlings are highly 

 useful with swine of all ages. They should not be fed alone, but 

 always with more carbonaceous feeds, as corn or barley. Mixed with 

 other feeds they are satisfactory for dairy cows. IMiddlings may also 

 be fed to horses in small amounts when mixed w^ith other feeds to 

 avoid colic. 



Red dog flour. — Ked dog flour, or dark feeding flour, generally con- 

 tains the wheat germs and is therefore rich in crude protein and fat. 

 Such flour differs little in composition and feeding value from the best 

 flour middlings. 



Wheat mixed feed. — "Wheat mixed feed, or shipstuff, is, strictly 

 speaking, the entire mill run of the residues of the wheat kernel left 

 after separating the commercial flour. The term is also used for 

 various mixtures of bran and red dog flour or middlings. The value 

 of wheat mixed feed will depend on the proportions of bran, middlings, 

 and flour present, a good grade being superior to wheat bran. 



Screenings. — In cleaning and grading wheat at the elevators and 

 mills, there remain great quantities of screenings, consisting of broken 

 and shrunken wheat kernels having high feeding value, mixed with 

 weed seeds and more or less trash. The weed seeds differ widely in 

 feeding value and different lots of screenings var}^ in the proportions 

 of wheat and trash contained. The best heavy screenings are but little 

 inferior to wheat. Farmers who seek to keep their land free from 

 noxious weeds should see that before feeding the screenings are finely 

 ground to kill all weed seeds. Screenings are now mostly used along 

 with molasses and various other bj^-products in the manufacture of 

 proprietary feeding stuffs. The feed control laws of several states 

 require that when screenings are present in feeds the fact be indicated 

 on the label and in some cases the percentage must be stated. 



III. Oats and Their By-Products 



Next to corn, oats are the most extensively grown cereal in the 

 United States. The oat grain is richer than corn in crude protein, 

 and contains nearly as much fat. Due to the woody hull, it contains 

 over 10 per ct. fiber, with correspondingly less nitrogen-free extract 

 than corn or wheat, and accordingly is lower in digestible nutrients 

 and net energy. The hulls of oats form from 20 to 45 per ct. of their 



