148 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
^ The following remarks are kindly supplied by Mr. W. Skelton, Dunolly, Victoria, who writes : — 
" I have bred Langshans purely as a hobby for close on twelve years, and must unhesitatingly state that 
the Modern Langshan, i.e., ' quite up-to-date,' is altogether a different bird to that shown ten years ago, and 
also a much better bird, on the grounds of ai)pearance, quality of flesh, and egg-productiveness. I annually 
hatch about loo chickens, and find no difificully in rearing the whole of them. My poultry-man is instructed 
not to pamper the chickens in any way. It is a case of ' the survival of the fittest.' The result is 
that as adults they have the appearance of thoroughly sound hardy birds ; and to sound constitutions 
I also attribute their perfect immunity from disease, for never yet have I lost birds from disease, and 
I do not think that any breed can claim a greater fieedom from Poultry ills than the Langshan. They also 
breed remarkably true to colour and type, the chickens always hatching out more a yellow and slate, or black, than 
a self-colour, and I find that the lighter the chick in colour the better it is as an adult in ' metallic sheen.' 
My experience gives me about 5 per cent, of clean legs, and a strange fact has forced itself upon me, viz., that 
these clean-legged birds are otherwise invariably fine specimens, and the pullets, as a rule, grow larger than 
those that are up to Show requirements. I have found them rather slow in feathering, but of late years they have 
much improved in this respect. As youngsters they are not at all taking in appearance, many of them being 
described as ' all legs,' and they certainly look it, but one is immediately undeceived when the bird appears 
dressed for the table. I must emphasise this point in the chickens, for certainly I know of no fowl — and I 
have sampled a good many — that is more delicious as a roast or broil than those self-same apparently 
' all legs ' Langshan chickens. The pullets I have found most proHfic layers at a very early age, in fact 
quite as early as any of the Leghorn Family, and they ' keep it up.' I have many inquiries for my 
Langshan pullets, on account of their excellent winter and all-round laying qualities. I must admit, however, 
that I have carefully preserved and fostered the above characteristic, and those who know my birds will 
admit that size has not been sacrificed. It has been pleasing to note that the desire for loose-feathered 
and coarse-headed birds has been gradually overcome, and it is quite the exception now to see any of these 
birds exhibited in Victoria ; and for the smart, upright, alert, and tight-feathered Langshan of to-day we owe 
much to Mr. W. T. Wright, who, in the face of big breeders, persistently awarded prizes to the nearest 
approach to our Modern Langshan. The much-vexed question of centre toe feather has gone overboard, 
tor as far as I am concerned, and I also believe in many other yards the objectionable feature is now being 
' bred out.' It is a difficult point to secure the complete feathering of the outer toe. Many of our best 
birds are wanting in this respect. The leg-feathering is nigh perfection, and with that we have almost perfect 
hocks. As regards head properties, I have found it difficult to secure really first-class combs. The darker 
the eye the better the bird looks, in my opinion, and consequently am jealous of this feature. And now for 
colour — after type, in my opinion, the most important point, and certainly constituting the beauty of the 
Langshan. 
" Colour, to a very great extent, has been carefully guarded in the pullets, but I have many times 
complained of the colour of the cockerels. In the latter, the tails are difficult to produce without the 
objectionable purple sheen. Many of our winning birds have been quite purple in the tail. This award, in 
the face of the Standard allowing for colour the highest number of points, is at once an element of danger, 
and we will in a very short time lose the colour, the chief beauty of the breed, if breeders do not ' set their 
faces ' against the ' purple blemish.' We also find that great breadth of shoulders is very necessary, for there 
is a tendency to breed very narrow birds, with legs much too close together, and this means sacrificing table 
qualities. With good depth and nice length of body, and the above Show properties, we have our ideal 
Langshan of to-day. My birds receive no special feeding ; the ordinary diet that every Fancier gives to his 
birds, no spices or any made foods, but vary the cereals as much as possible, giving no maize, as I find the 
Langshan puts on fat internally very rapidly. In summer I grow sorghum, and cut it up as green chaff, the birds 
eating it with avidity, and it does wonders for the early youngsters. I have no trouble in keeping the birds 
in their runs ; in fact, a three (3) feet wire-netting fence keeps them out of the kitchen garden. One can 
easily gather from this that they are a very contented Fowl. Farmers around this district like them on these 
