THE REGAL WHITE LANGSHAN. 



The "Sacred Bird" of the Chinese— Produced in This Country From Sports— A Fowl for Fancier and 



Farmer— Hints on Selecting and Breeding. 



By Rees F. Matson. 



THE only pure White Langshans are sports from the 

 Black Langshans or descendants of such sports. 

 During the early existence of this breed, when, as is 

 usually the case with a new breed, the demand ex- 

 ceeded the supply, many cross-bred mongrels were sold as 

 White Langshans. These were mostly of White Dorking, 

 White Leghorn and White Cochin extraction, and even yet, 

 though it is rare, one runs across birds that show some of 

 this foreign blood. The Dorking and Leghorn crosses can 

 easily be detected by their large, coarse combs and the 

 Cochin birds by their loose feathering and yellow skin. 

 Thanks to the untiring efforts of the breeders of this excel- 

 lent bird, these crosses have been almost entirely eradicated 

 and I doubt if there is a breed of its age that shows a more 

 uniform type than the White Langshan. I should have said 

 its age in this country, for it is known that the White Lang- 

 shan has existed for, possibly, hundreds of years in China, 

 its birthplace, where it is known as the "Yop" or Sacred 

 Bird, but, because of the fact that the Chinese consider it 

 sacred, it has been almost impossible to secure any speci- 

 mens for importation. 



Whatever can be said of the Black Langshans can be 

 said of the Whites for the only difference is in color. I find 

 amongst my own birds that the Whites lay the larger egg, 

 but I am inclined to believe this is attributable to strain. 

 In the spring of 1893 I set fourteen eggs, all laid by my best 

 Black Langshan hen, which was mated to an excellent cock- 

 erel, scoring 94. From these eggs, hatched twelve White 

 Langshans, the first sports I had ever seen and the founda- 

 tion of my strain of White Langshans. This black hen 

 laid an unusually large egg and to this fact I attribute the 

 large size of the eggs from my Whites. All specialty breed- 

 ers are accused of being unreasonably prejudiced in favor 

 of their "hobby," but I recommend the Langshan after try- 

 ing nearly all the popular varieties of pure j bred poultry. 

 As a winter layer they have no superior and I doubt an 

 equal, for not only in winter, but throughout the entire year, 

 they lay with gratifying regularity. Their eggs are large 

 and of varying shades of brown and pink. For table use 

 the White Langshan is excellent, having small bones and a 

 juicy flesh, which retains tenderness at an age when most 

 fowls are relegated to the tahle of the proverbial boarding 

 house. The White Langshan is particularly well adapted to 

 the farm, being splendid foragers, hardy, prolific and easily 

 managed. Let's take the chick, a bundle of "smutty " down, some 

 as dark as a mole, others almost white, with tints of canary 

 here and there on their breasts. Who would suppose they 

 would ever be white? Several customers have complained 

 that I had sent out mongrel stuff, when they first viewed 

 the little fellows in the nest, but their disappointment was 

 turned to joy when in two months they were as white as 

 snow and the brightest, liveliest chicks they had ever seen. 

 I will confess that at from three to five months of age the 

 Langshan cockerel is an awkward, ungainly fellow, no more 



than other Asiatics, but where can you find a more beautiful 

 specimen than the matured male, all life, style and beauty. 



In the show room no breed attracts more attention not 

 only because of their beauty, but because of their gentleness, 

 you might say friendliness. At the '03 Chicago show, my first 

 prize pullet occupied a corner coop, from the bars of which 

 she pecked at the rings and buttons of all who passed her 

 way, and was a friend of all. The following descripti6n of 

 her, by Editor Curtis, in the Reliable Poultry Journal, is 

 applicable to Langshans in general, for they all have that 

 "Regal bearing," that "Distinguished air": 



"At this show, for the first time in our experience, we 

 became really inter- 

 ested in the White 

 Langshan, as a result 

 of the exhibit of 

 beautiful specimens 

 made by Rees F. 

 Matson. The stately 

 white beauties forci- 

 bly remind you of 

 the demure 'ladies of 

 quality' of a hundred 

 years ago going 

 through the evolu- 

 tions of the minuet. 

 Fardon this flight of 

 fancy, but Mr. Mat- 

 son's first prize 

 White Langshan pul- 

 was easily the state- 

 liest creation in the 

 form of a standard 

 fowl we have seen." 



The graceful, neat- ' 

 ly proportio ned 

 Langshan of to-day. 



is nearer the accepted ideal than either the "squatty" or 

 "snaky" extremes met with so often in the past. By careful 

 selection and close culling this type can be improved. We 

 must keep away from the loose-feathered Cochin type and, 

 too, we must not go to the other extreme, the hard-feathered 

 Game type. The true Langshan is neither hard feathered 

 nor loose feathered, but, while seemingly close feathered, is 

 yet soft and fairly fluffy. In shape the defects to avoid are: 

 Large, beefy combs, flat, meatless breasts, long, jnarrow, 

 straight backs and low, scantily furnished tails. In color 

 breed for pure white, both in web and quill, shanks and feet 

 of a blue slate color, pink skin and a dark brown eye. 



Summing it up, the especially laudable characteristics of 

 the Langshan are its docility, winter laying proclivity, large 

 size combined with small hone, tender and juicy flesh, abun- 

 dance of breast, and beauty, unsurpassed. 



REES F. MATSON. 



A High Scoring, Prize Winning White Lang- 

 shan. Cockerel, Bred and Owned by 

 Rees F. Matson. 



