25 



grains which have started germination, or damaged in any other 

 way, should be cast aside and never used as food. Diseases such 

 as crop bound, foul crop, etc., will surely follow any negligence 

 on the part of the fancier, especially in the way of improper food 

 and feeding. 



Wheat Screenings. 



The author as well as many other squab raisers uses screen- 

 ings to as good an advantage as wheat; in fact, I believe if the 

 screenings be good it does better and fattens the squabs nicer 

 and easier than pure wheat. I have reference to what is called 

 good screenings. The majority on the market contains very 

 little wheat, mostly dirt; of course this is useless. I procure 

 screenings from the mills direct and get it very good, at times the 

 grains of wheat are almost perfect. There is an advantage in 

 feeding screenings for more than one reason. First, the gictin.^ 

 are all very dry and harder than the good wheat, are not digested 

 so easily, but at the same time contain all the nourishing prop- 

 erties. The wheat in screenings as a rule is better seasoned than 

 pure wheat; birds both young and old thrive well upon it, and 

 does not scour them like pure wheat. Another advantage is the 

 other seeds which they can get from the screenings, as grass seed, 

 tares and various other seeds, which help to sharpen up their 

 appetites. 



One purchasing screenings, however, must keep his eyes 

 wide open, for screenings have one disadvantage, and a very bad 

 one. This is rye, which it sometimes contains. One must exam- 

 ine it well before ^feeding, for if there be a certain percentage of 

 rye in it, it will cause detrimental results. Rye should never be 

 fed, even in small quantities, for it produces a violent intestinal 

 inflammation or irritation and causes death. Pigs, chickens, or 

 any other animal will not live if fed rye. So be careful in buying 

 screenings to look out closely for rye. Wheat is as a rule $1.00 

 to $1.25 per bushel. In pigeon wheat there is always some waste 

 matter. In screenings there is the same, and a little more, but 

 when good screenings can be bought for $1 per 100 pounds, it 

 will be a great saving, and in this business expenses must be kept 

 down to the lowest notch. In 100 pounds of screenings there will 

 be two bushels or more. Wheat in this way costs 50 cents or 

 less a bushel. 



