SUCCESS WITH POULTRY 



17 



If over one-half of the females in the pen have well ser- 

 rated combs and they are perfectly upright, so much the 

 better for breeding cockerels with straight combs. Consider 

 ear-lobes and wattles the same as on the male; then exam- 

 ine the color of neck or hiokle^ and get a black stripe with 



Standard-bred Bose Comb Brown IieghomB. 



an orange yellow edging around each feather and as little 

 penciling in the black stripe as possible. Wings in females 

 are very frequently found with a brick color on bows. This 

 is objectionable, yet is very hard to breed out. We are of 

 the . opinion that where continjml breeding is resprted to 

 for a few years with females that show none of this red 

 on wings the result will be cockerels' with large dark bar 

 and scarcely any red on wiiig bowls, thus making' it tit for 

 tat — ^what is gain«d in the color of the female is lost in 

 the color of the male. So, if the 'fefimales show a small 

 amount of red on wings, all the better for the cockerels 

 from such a mating. Be careful to select such as show 

 backs well penciled w;th dark brown, and such as are 

 pencileci closer up to the web of each feather, not open 

 with dark stripe along each side of the shaft, causing the 

 back . to look too dark. Select females with good length 

 of legs, fairly long in body, with good, upright carriage, 

 and the results should be fine chicks. 



MATING -WHin: I^EGHORNS. 



(Prize Essay in Fanciers' Gazette, London, England.) 

 Here, perhaps, the amateur may obtain better results 

 in the way of both sexes from one breeding pen than it is 

 possible to do in the Browns, though I very much douTst 

 whether it be possible for him to do as well as if he mated 

 separately. Pay attention to, all the general Leghorn char- 

 acteristics, as described in my notes on Browns; and fur- 

 ther, see that your cock bird is free from straw color bn 

 his back and saddle feathers, and that both he and his 

 mates have a good depth of color in their legs, as there 

 has in many strains tome a tendency to paleness in leg, 

 brought about probably by the efforts to keep the plumnge 

 as pure in color as possible; for while I do not agree with 

 some who assert that a ca.nary tint is correct in a White 

 Leghorn — and I do much prefer a pure white color^-I must 

 admit that it ds preferable to have a faint tinge of yellow 



color in the plumage combined with a lovely yellow leg, 

 rather than the pale, washy legs one sometimes sees ex- 

 hibited. In the breeding of -Whites, those who can find 

 trees and other natural shade, or failing this, who provide 

 artificial shade, will be wise to avail themselves of it, Snd 



Standard-bred Rose Comb White Jjeghnma. 

 can not fail, especially in a strong season, when we get 

 "first a shower and then a shine," to reap great benefits 

 therefrom; for it is such a season as above described, rather 

 than a tropical summer, that strains an otherwise wHTte 

 bird's plumage. 



BLAiCK IJSlN'GSIIANS. '"^' 



The Black Langshans, owing to their beauty of form 

 and feather are often called the; lordly Langshans. They 

 are esteemed very highly by many people. The surface 

 'color of the plumage of both the male' and female is a 

 glossy, metallic black, showing a green sheen. The under- 

 color ia black or dark slate. The standard weights of tha 

 Langshans are as follows: Cock, ten pounds; hen, seven 

 pounds. Langshans are fair to good layers, especially in 

 winter time. They are superior to the Oochins as layers 

 and about as good, or a little better, than the Brahmas in 

 this respect. They are smaller and somewhat more active 

 than Brahmas, which accounts no doubt for their being 

 somewhat better layers. Tre flesh of the Langshans is mod- 

 erately, fine in texture, juicy and palatable, but they are not 

 so popular as they should be as table fowls, owing to two 

 afots; namely, their skin is white, and it is almost impos- 

 sible to put them upon the market as dressed fowl in an 

 attractive condition, owing to the black pin feathers. Where 

 people have a preference for black fowls, large in size, doc- 

 ile, fair to good layers, strikingly handsome, the lordly 

 Langshan will fill the bill and render a good account of 

 itself. In breeding Langshans to standard requirements, 

 their besetting sin is white or gray in the plumage and pur- 

 ple barring which comes in the glossy black surface plumage 

 in place of the even, green sheen which should exist in the 

 surface plumage of the upper half of the body on both male 

 and female. Any white or gray whatever in fowls that are 

 meant to be solid black is an eye-sore and a serious defect. 

 Eurthermore, all black fowls are made particularly hand- 

 some by the rich, metallic green sheen, and this is not an 

 easy characteristic to establish in o strain. Beginners with 



