the; ASIATICS. 



83 



cut of one-half to even two points before condemning them 

 as unworthy. Primaries folded outside of secondaries; 

 white, red or mixed yellow and red color in any part of 

 plumage; refuse score card record or prizes to such. 



TAIL. 



Large; carried upright; tail proper, spread laterally at 

 a less angle than the letter A, but combed closely so as to 

 admit of lower two-thirds becoming enveloped by the upper 

 tail furnishings, as they meet the curly plumage under the 

 tail, only the tips of the three or four top feathers appearing 

 beyond the coverlets; these with lesser coverts hanging 

 curved in symmetrical shape downward: tail proper a coal 

 black, furnishings and coverts a green sheen over black. 



Defects. Fan-shaped like a Brahma; coverlets short, 

 not reaching beyond lower portion of tail proper; want of 

 green sheen on the furnishings and coverlets; bronze bars 

 in surface plumage; pointed or drooping carriage, like 

 Cochin; dull sooty black in color; slaty gray tips or spots 

 in tail proper. For these cut one-half to one and one-half 

 points; cutting one-half to two and one-half points for car- 

 riage between the proper upright position and full squirrel 

 character. Those having white at base of tail or in under- 

 color of coverlets, pass as unworthy of score card record. 



LOWER THIGH, SHANKS AND TOES. 



Lower thigh and hock well below body line, the former 

 closely feathered in coal black plumage that curls close about 

 the hock joint, thus preserving hock in profile; the shank 

 medium long and feathered down the outside, the feathers 

 blending with a foot plumage sufficiently profuse to com- 

 pletely cover the outer toe and growing on the same to the 

 tip joint; feathering of middle toe immaterial and of no 

 value in score card application of the standard; shanks 

 straight and parallel, with leaden blue or black scale, with 

 pinkish violet or flesh color in soft parts between scales and 

 inside of shanks; bottom of feet flesh colored, so-called; 

 free from yellow skin in any part. 



Defects. For shanks turned inward at hock at a less 

 angle than positive deformity, shanks and outer toe scantily 

 feathered, cut one-half to one and one-half points, cutting 

 one full point for each crooked toe. Shanks short, with 

 hocks not in profile below body line, one^half to a full point; 

 for positive knock knees, pronounced deformed feet, or yel- 

 low in scale or skin, pass the specimen as unworthy of score 

 card record. 



COMMENT. 



There are characteristics of color that need a more ex- 

 tended consideration than is usually given in our standard 

 descriptions of the breeds and condensed formulas of shape 

 and color supposed to be sufficient for score card judging. 

 We have in this essay endeavored to cover all that is neces- 

 sary to make the work a fair standard. But there is a ten- 

 dency in this breed, as in all breeds of a metallic black 

 plumage, to show flights and secondaries and tail proper 

 with slaty, sheeny spots, and tips of feathers lacking in the 

 intense black of the general plumage. But these spots are 

 a long way frDm being white or gray. While these are de- 

 fects to deal with, the judges should first place such tips 

 upon the white back of his score card, when he will be sur- 

 prised to see that they are nearly black. Even the reflection 

 of light on a highly sheened plumage will produce a white 

 appearance, which is sometimes deceptive. These spots I 

 speak of placed upon the metallic black of their own plum- 

 age look almost white, but this all disappears when laid 

 upon a white surface. 



I am aware of the influence of the grave error we made 

 in the first standard when we made white, appearing when 



laid upon a black surface, a disqualification. But that has 

 long since been abolished and all disqualifications adminis- 

 tered in the spirit of giving the specimen the benefit of the 

 doubt. If to disqualify jars upon your sense of justice, you 

 surely are not giving the specimen the benefit of your judg- 

 ment; but bear in mind that this clause in our standard 

 was put there to save almost perfect specimens from dis- 

 qualification, not to save poor, unworthy specimens for the 

 sake of giving them a score card record. White, red, red 

 and yellow, mixed feathers, then must show beyond the 

 presence of a single feather. There must be a reasonable 

 conviction of taint in blood that would transmit the evil in- 

 dicated. The mere fact of one isolated, small, single white 

 feather other than in what is called the quill plumage, is not 

 sufficient nor just cause to disqualify. To so severely pun- 

 ish such minute defects is better justice than to condemn the 

 specimens. 



The comb of females of this breed, because of the thin 

 skin and fine texture, is seriously affected by the heat of the 

 show room; also by the approach of laying. They easily, 

 from these causes, lop or fold; thus does this breed suffer 

 more than other breeds with single combs. The apprecia- 

 tion of their merit as egg producers, the practical work they 

 accomplish for us out of the show season, should cause the 

 judge to be alert and lenient as possible in applying the gen- 

 eral laws governing our exhibitions. To be cut for these 

 defects a reasonable amount is all the»females of this breed 

 can stand in justice. 



THE MATING OF THE LANGSHAN. 



To mate them seems an easy matter, by first discarding 

 all hens scoring less than ninety and all pullets scoring less 

 than ninety-two and one-half and reserving no male under 

 ninety-two points. This any breeder can well afford to do. 

 Then divide the birds reserved for breeding into two flocks: 

 the one rich in green sheen, the other of metallic black with 

 little or no green. 



We are ready to again divide each division into the 

 largest and longest in bone structure, and those smallest and 

 shortest in the joints, selecting their male mates from the 

 opposite of these conditions, using no male not strictly first- 

 class in shape. It would be folly to use those of poor shape 

 even to secure good color. 



Pen No. 1 should always be mated in any breed to pro- 

 duce the best results from the male line of ancestry, and 

 when the breeder is to rely solely upon his own yard, the 

 male should be the best both in shape and color and as near 

 to our pen picture as possible. 



To him we would mate an even shade of pure black 

 plumed females; not showing the green sheen in a very 

 marked degree; being absolutely free from bronze bars in 

 the feathers. The specimens being large in size and weight; 

 neck, thighs, shanks such as to make them look large and 

 commanding in appearance, but void of anything of a crane 

 like appearance. 



Pen No. 2. For this a male tall, commanding, with full 

 flowing fountain tail; plumage black, with a reasonable 

 amount of the green sheen in lower hackle, rose and bay of 

 wing and in tail coverts; well plumed shanks and feet. 



The females having all the green sheen possible, while 

 selecting medium length of neck, back, tail and shanks and 

 of full weight as recommended in our Standard; with full 

 inclined plane of back to tail. 



Pen No. 3. Male very large, wifh full length of joints; 

 hocks well below body line, with heavy green sheen to 

 plumage. 



To him mate females the shortest in neck, back, shanks 

 and tail of our second division; coal black, with absence of 

 sheen. 



