182 DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 
has come to the author’s notice was presented by a sample of wheat 
bran examined in the feed-control work in Wisconsin.” The anal- 
ysis showed that 1413 whole seeds were found in 10 grams (or 
less than one-third ounce) of ihe bran, and the weed seeds made 
up over 10 per cent of the weight of the sample. The number 
given represents over 128,000,000 weed seeds in a ton, which 
would be distributed on the land with manure and, to a large ex- 
tent, be ready to germinate the first season. By taking up space 
and plant food that should be used by farm crops, the weeds grown 
from the seeds would decrease the production of the land and 
would also increase the cost of growing the crops (p. 171). 
The feed laws of the various States require that bran (or mid- 
lings) containing screenings must be sold as “wheat bran (or 
wheat middlings) mixed with screenings,” and a statement of the 
percentage contained therein is also required in some cases. 
Oat Feeds.—The by-products in the manufacture of oatmeal 
are similar to those obtained at the flour mills, except for the 
differences in the structure of the oat kernel. Oats consist of a 
kernel and a hull which are easily separated. The former is high 
in starch, protein, and fat; the latter is low in all those com- 
ponents, and high in fiber, hence has a very low feeding value. 
As previously shown, the hulls make up about one-third of the 
oat-kernel, on the average, and contain 30 to over 40 per cent fiber 
and only about 3 per cent protein. 
The hairy tips on the oats are separated in the manufacture of 
oatmeal, after the kernels are hulled, and make up the by-product 
sold as oat dust. The only other refuse feed obtained in oat mills 
is oat shorts or middlings (often sold as oat feed). 
Oat dust contains considerable protein (13.5 per cent), fat (4.8 
per cent), and other valuable feed components, with about 18 per 
cent fiber. It is, therefore, a feed of some importance, although its 
light, fluffy mechanical condition makes it difficult to feed except 
in mixtures with heavy concentrates. 
Oat shorts or middlings are the richest of the by-products from 
oats, and correspond closely to wheat middlings in chemical com- 
position, with a somewhat higher fat content than this feed. 
Oat feed contains ground oat hulls with shorts or middlings; it 
should be bought only on a definite guarantee of its composition, 
including maximum fiber content. The oat feeds on the market 
differ greatly in composition and feeding value, according to the 
? Circular 30, p. 79; see also Circular 97 of the same station, and Ver- 
mont Bulletin 138. 
