Burch: Purebred Sires Improve Female Stock 



45 



the variegated plants bore light pink 

 flowers somewhat lighter and more deli- 

 cate in color than the ordinary red 

 flowers of the green plants. This in- 

 stance, typical of many others observed 

 by the writer in southern California, 

 illustrates the origin of the variegated 

 forms of the oleander and their propa- 

 gation from bud variations. 



In the catalogue of one of the lead- 

 ing ornamental tree growers of Cali- 

 fornia, seventeen commercial varieties 

 of the oleatider are offered for sale. 

 The foliage characteristics of these va- 

 rieties include green and variegated 

 leaves. Some of the varieties are dis- 

 tinguished by difTerent degrees or ar- 

 rangement of the variegations. The 

 flower characteristics of the different 

 varieties include white-single, double- 

 white, semi-double white or pink, varie- 

 gated flowers, carmine-crimson and 

 shaded maroon colors, fragrance or the 

 absence of fragrance, carmine streaked 



with white color and the production 

 of many or of few flowers. Some, if 

 not all, of these varieties, have been 

 isolated through the selection and 

 propagation of bud sports. In several 

 instances the writer has observed some 

 of these bud variations occurring on the 

 same plant, frequently as branch 

 sports. An inquiry amongst local prop- 

 agators has revealed the fact that the 

 different varieties listed above have 

 been propagated from bud sports, 

 usually from bud variations of the 

 variegated plants. In one instance a 

 row of variegated plants having both 

 striped leaves and flowers was propa- 

 gated from cuttings said to have been 

 secured from variegated branches oc- 

 curring as bud variations in a green 

 leaf and red-flowered plant. How- 

 ever, in most cases the varieties have 

 most frequently developed apparently 

 as selections from bud variations of the 

 variegated plants. 



PUREBRED SIRES LEAD RAPIDLY TO 

 IMPROVEMENT IN FEMALE STOCK 



Current Results in Federal-State Campaign for Better-Bred Livestock Furnish 



Striking Facts About Breeding 



D. S. Burch 

 Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



THAT the use of good purebred 

 sires generally is a forerunner to 

 ownership of well-bred livestock 

 in the various classes and breeds is 

 shown by data assembled by the 

 Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture. The facts 

 and figures compiled are derived from 

 records of the "Better Sires — Better 

 Stock" campaign which, at the close of 

 1920, had been in progress 15 months. 

 It is a campaign of information with the 

 object of improving the average quality 

 of live stock in the United States. The 

 following facts are believed to be of 

 unusual interest to livestock owners 

 and students of animal breeding: 



OWNERSHIP OF PUREBRED FEMALES 

 FOLLOWS BETTER SIRES 



The use of purebred sires appears to 

 lead automatically to the ownership of 



a considerable quantity of purebred 

 female stock. The proportion of pure- 

 bred female animals kept in herds and 

 flocks headed by purebred sires is 

 gradually increasing. 



The use of purebred sires apparently 

 results also in the culling out of scrub 

 females, judging from the small pro- 

 portion of scrub females compared with 

 grade, crossbred, and purebred female 

 animals owned by purebred-sire users. 



Of all female stock owned by persons 

 enrolled in the "Better-Sires" campaign 

 at the end of 1920, 55.9 per cent were 

 purebreds, 33.4 per cent were grades, 

 8.6 per cent were crossbreds, and 2.1 

 per cent were scrubs. In about a year's 

 time, it appears, the increase in the use 

 of purebred females by purebred-sire 

 owners has been at least 7 per cent. 



In the opinion of Department live- 

 stock specialists, the more general use 



