November 28, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
417 
distinct breed. One can scarcely imagine that such chickens can 
ever become black; yet as the feathers appear, except in the 
wings, the first feathers (in which are mostly white—the white 
down) disappear, and there can be no doubt any longer as to what 
the colour will be, for black takes the place of white. As the 
chick grows its bony frame is observed to be much lighter in build, 
like a thorough-bred horse in comparison with a cart horse. The 
bird is more active and able to make more use of its wings 
than a Cochin or Brahma ; its breastbone is much longer, the thigh 
much smaller in proportion to the breast, the legs less feathered 
and without a trace of yellow, being black, pink, and white, with 
tue nails on the black claws pearly white. The skin is delicately 
white, and the flesh upon the breast abundant in comparison with 
either the Cochin or the Brahma, Of twochichens hatched in the 
same nest and reared together, the one a fine Dark Brahma 
cockerel, the other a Langshan, at a little more than three months 
old as nearly as possible of the same size in appearance, I care- 
fully measured the length of the breastbones. The Brahmas 
measured 34 inches, the Langshan’s 43 inches. My Langshans 
are pure-bred birds, obtained from Mr. Croad of the Manor House, 
Durrington, near Worthing. Their purity of breed I have ascer- 
tained to my own satisfaction thus: I obtained some very pure 
Duckwing Game birds, and have bred a cross between these two 
pure breeds ; now the cross-bred birds are all so exactly like each 
other as to exclude the most remote probability of any taint of 
blood in the parentage on either side. I have done more: I have 
proved that a Light Brahma hen, supposed to have been a pure-bred 
fowl, is nothing of the kind, her chickens being of all colours 
when crossed with the pure Langshan ; a White Dorking hen also, 
which I knew was not quite true bred, throwing ehickens of all 
colours in the same way. I think the above facts satisfactorily 
prove that my Langshans and Game birds are pure breeds, and 
that the slightest cross in either parent will be unmistakeably 
shown by varieties in colour, &c., in the produce of such birds, 
every breed as it were peeping out here and there. I have no 
doubt that several of the birds exhibited last year at Birmingham 
as Langshans had a considerable amount of Black Cochin blood 
in them; but in time this mixture will be recognised and all 
contamination will be got rid of. 
_ I have a rose-combed variety of Langshan, and I understand 
in the pure breed tufted birds appear occasionally, I do not 
think the best Langshans have yet been brought from their native 
country. Everybody knows how perseveringly the Cochin and 
the Brahma will sit, and how frequently they want to sit. The 
Langshan is very easily prevented, and if allowed to sit is very 
apt to desert her nest before the time of hatching has arrived. 
Langshans are extraordinary layers, their eggs being not large 
for the size of the bird but yery rich. The colour of the shell 
varies from a dark browm to almost white, and is sometimes 
spotted like a Turkey’s ege. It is a richer and better egg than 
the Cochin’s or the Dark Brahma’s, the Light Brahma’s ege coming 
nearest to it in quality—JoHN GABB, Surgeon, Bewdley. 
ROOT SHOWS. 
THE first condition for securing good crops is to obtain good 
seed—pure stocks of approved varieties. Without this, cultivation 
fails in the object desired ; with it success, so far as the elements 
permit, is certain, Where good seed and good culture are com- 
bined remarkable results are achieved, of which a trio of root 
shows recently held afforded sufficient evidence, Alike on account 
of the magnitude of the exhibitions, the excellence of the produce, 
and the enterprise of the promoters of these great agricultural 
gatherings, the shows in question merit notice. First in order 
of date was the exhibition of 
MESSRS. WEBB & SONS. 
During previous years great displays of roots which have been 
grown from seed supplied by; Messrs. Webb & Sons have been 
arranged in their capacious warehouses at Wordsley near Stour- 
bridge. This year the Show was held in Curzon Hall, Birmingham, 
where it opened on the 20th inst., and was the most extensive of 
its kind that has ever been seen in the midland counties. The 
value of the prizes offered was £300, making a total of £500 offered 
by Messrs. Webb during the year for superior cultivation. The 
number of entries for the Show was 1612 (comprising 25,000 roots) 
against 1308 in 1877. Amongst the exhibitors were Her Majesty 
the Queen, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the Duke of 
Portland, the Duke of Sutherland, Earl Beauchamp, the Earl of 
Dartmouth, the Earl of Northbrook, the Harl of Powis, Harl 
Redesdale, the Harl of Stamford, the Earl of Warwick, the Earl of 
Wemyss, Lord Bateman, Lord Hampton, Lord Moreton, Lord 
Northwick, Lord Willoughby de Broke, and many other large 
landed proprietors. 
Webbs’ Imperial Swede, of which there were 511 entries, formed 
a prominent feature of the Exhibition. Mr. Joseph Beach won 
the cup with produce of remarkable quality. The first prize for 
weight of roots was taken by Mr. R. Lloyd, Kidderminster. The 
twelve heaviest Swedes in the hall weighed 268 tbs. Of Webbs’ 
Improved Colonel North Mangold there were 214 entries. The 
first prize for the “best” was won by Mr. T. H. Farrer. The 
heaviest single Mangold of this variety in the hall weighed 
39 Ibs. Webbs’ Mammoth Long Red Mangolds were extremely 
fine. Mr. F. Lythall was awarded the first prize for the best roots, 
The prize for the heaviest was won by Mr. T. Moxon, Easenhall, 
with a collection of twelve, weighing 479 lbs. A single root of this 
variety, shown by itself, weighed 624 lbs. Sir R. F. Sutton won 
the chief prize for Webbs’ New Kinver Yellow Globe Mangold. 
The heaviest collection of Globe Mangolds weighed 3635 lIbs., and 
the heaviest single specimen 39 lbs. Webbs’ Yellow-fleshed Tan- 
kard Mangold was well represented; Mrs. Cubberley, Alcester, 
securing the first prize. For Webbs’ Intermediate Mangolds there 
were forty-nine competitors. Turnips, Kohl Rabi, and Cabbages 
were all excellent. RHE 
Superior vegetables were exhibited, and five hundred varieties 
of Potatoes grown by the firm on their trial grounds at Kinver 
attracted much attention. : 
The cereal classes contained excellent samples of Webbs’ Chal- 
lenge White Wheat, Kinver Chevalier Barley, Black Tartarian 
Oat, and Challenge White Oat. 4600 visitors attended the Show 
on the first day, and 7321 on the second. 
The Exhibition on the whole was an excellent one, and highly 
creditable to Messrs. Webb and their numerous customers. 
MESSRS. SUTTONS & SONS. 
Only those who have visited the Royal Berkshire Root Show can 
form any just conception of its magnitude and of the vast con- 
course of visitors which crowd around the collections. The prizes 
offered by the firm duzing the year amount to £500, and are com- 
peted for by cultivators in almost every county in the kingdom. 
Amongst the exhibitors at the Show in question were Her 
Majesty the Queen, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, the Duke of 
Northumberland, the Duke of Portland, the Marquis of Ailesbury, 
the Marquis of Donegal, the Earl of Craven, the Earl of North- 
brook, Earl Bathurst, the Earl of Redesdale, the Earl of Warwick, 
Lord Calthorpe, Lord Camoys, Lord Chesham, Lord Eversley, 
Lord F. Kerr, Lord Moreton, Mr. W. H. Smith, M.P. (First Lord 
of the Admiralty), the Countess of Yarborough, and many other 
principal landowners and tenant farmers. 
The number of entries was 1574. Tons upon tons of the most 
splendid roots of Mangold Wurtzels, Swede Turnips, Parsnips, and 
Carrots, &e., were gathered together in the'magnificent premises of 
Messrs. Sutton in a room 180 feet long by 60 wide, and in four 
other rooms adjoining, probably the largest in the world used for 
such purposes. “My farming,” observed a visitor speaking of the 
Show, “is of a limited character, but I have some idea that a 
produce of 110 tons an acre is a pretty considerable amount for 
even Mammoth Mangolds ; that for six Long Red roots to weigh 
233 lbs. is no little matter, and that it cannot be a baby root that 
is 3 feet 8 inches long, 3 feet in girth, and weighing 47 lbs.” Yet 
such were a few of the recorded weights, and even large farmers 
were astonished at the excellence of the display. 
In Class 1, for the “grand prize,’ a gold cup value £20, for 
thirty-six roots of Mangold Wurtzels in three of Messrs. Suttons’ 
varieties, there were twenty entries. The Judges, after long and 
close examination, awarded the prize to Sir Paul Hunter, Bart. 
Mortimer Hill. The twelve roots of Suttons’ Mammoth Long Red 
weighed 406 tbs., a similar number of Golden Tankard weigh- 
ing 315 lIbs., of Sutton’s Berkshire Prize 377 Ibs.—total, 1098. 
This was a splendid collection, many of the roots being handsome 
as well as large, but others were undoubtedly somewhat coarse. 
Much more attractive in appearance were the roots exhibited by 
R. Burn Blyth, Esq., Woolhampton, who was awarded the second 
prize of £10. The aggregate weight of the thirty-six roots was 
770 tbs., but for smoothness and shape they were far in advance 
of all others, every root being a model of good culture. In this 
fine class size triumphed over quality, but in the next class for 
six Sutton’s Mammoth Long Red Mangolds—a remarkable class 
of nearly a thousand roots—quality was worthily recognised in the 
first-prize collection of Sir F. Smith, Bart., Acton Burnell, which 
weighed 205 Ibs., against the second-prize six of Sir Paul Hunter, 
weighing 233 Ibs. The class for six roots of Suttons’ Berkshire 
Prize Yellow Globe Mangold was a very imposing one, the roots 
combining size with quality in a remarkable manner. The first- 
prize collection of Mr. Richard Webb, Beenham, weighed 181 tbs. 
Similarly fine was the class of six Suttons’ Yellow Intermediate 
Mangold, where Sir Paul Hunter was again in the first position 
with roots weighing 161 tbs. The same successful exhibitor was 
first in the class for six roots of Suttons’ Golden Tankard Mangold 
with a collection weighing 181 Ibs. ; some of the roots were a foot 
out of the ground, and of the true tankard shape. A fine class. 
Swedes were remarkable for their numbers and general high 
quality. For twelve roots of the famed Suttons’ Champion, J. F. 
Burrell, Hsq., Frimley, won the first position with short-necked 
smooth handsome roots of great solidity. Many other collections 
were nearly equally good, no less than thirteen exhibitors receiv- 
ing honours in this class. The same number of competitors was 
honoured in the class for twelve roots of Suttons’ Imperial Green 
Globe Turnips, J. S. Calvert, Esq., Witney, heading the list. The 
class was an excellent one throughout, the majority of the roots 
