1909.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 29 



Weed Seeds in Feed Stuffs. 



BY p. H. SMITH. 



Screenings are composed of the light, immature grain sepa- 

 rated from the good grain in the process of winnowing, to- 

 gether with such dirt, chaff, straw and weed seeds as may be 

 present in the grain as it comes from the field. It is quite 

 obvious that screenings may be of a very uncertain character, 

 depending upon the kind of seed making up the mixture, and 

 also upon the amount of other foreign matter in the grain as 

 received. Screenings are used with some success as a food for 

 sheep. An increasing amount of screenings is being used, 

 especially as a component of molasses feeds, and occasionally 

 with wheat middlings and other prepared cattle feeds. Flax 

 screenings have been ground and put on the market as flax feed. 

 While screenings are a legitimate by-product and of some feed- 

 ing value, they are inferior to the grains from which they are 

 derived, and much inferior to the high-grade protein concen- 

 trates. Their addition to any prepared feed can only tend to 

 cheapen it, and any feed on the market which contains any 

 considerable proportion of screenings should sell for a consid- 

 erably lower figure than the ruling price for standard goods. 

 Their use is objectionable for the following reasons: — 



1. They are unpalatable, many of the weed seeds found in 

 screenings being decidedly bitter. 



2. They are likely to carry considerable fiber, due to the 

 presence of straw, chaff and to the tough hulls of the weed 

 seeds. This fiber tends to decrease their digestibility. 



3. They are a prolific source of weeds on the farm. 



4. They are not usually sold on their merits, but are offered 

 in disguise by being mixed with feeds of better quality. 



