Langshans. 
149 
grounds, as they do not destroy the stacks, but are content to forage about the ground for the tit-bits and 
stray grains. I have found that the best months for hatching are from June to October ; hatched after the 
latter month they do not seem to gain headway, and I consider it waste of time to breed and expect size. I 
might state that this district, being a hot one, perhaps accounts for the above result. One could not wish for 
better sitters ; some of them, perhaps, are too persistent, but my experience, happily, has been the reverse. 
I have bred from a four-year-old cock, and found that the eggs from this pen were well filled. No fault can 
be found with the breed on that score, for even though they come under the heading of ' heavy-weights,' 
the proportion of fertile eggs is quite up to the average." 
The following remarks are added by Mr. W. F. Weeks, of Wentworth Falls, N.S.W., who is well-known 
as an admirer, breeder, and successful exhibitor of the variety. Mr. Weeks writes : — 
" This breed came originally from the Langshan Hills, in China, and, I believe, were first introduced 
into England by Major Croad, although the Americans claim to have had specimens of the breed some years 
before, being imported from China by a Californian Fancier, whose name I have forgotten, and that birds 
from America were sent to England before Major Croad's importations. There is Httle doubt that several 
English breeders improved (?) the Langshan, in their idea, by introducing Cochin blood to obtain the 
appearance of greater size by flufiiness of feather, and a bitter battle was fought, extending over several years, 
between the Pure ' Chinese Langshan ' and the ' Improved English Langshan ' Breeders and Fanciers in 
England. The former, however, gained the victory, inasmuch as the very latest English Standards require 
birds with tight plumage, with little or no fluff, and other various points claimed by them. I fear, however, 
to obtain this result many breeders introduced Game blood, so that it became a difficult matter to obtain 
pure stock, except from those who were recognised as ' real cranks ' on the subject. Fortunately, there were 
several breeders on the Pacific Slope of America, as well as some in England, who had clung to the pure 
Chinese type through good and evil report, and these are to be complimented in the highest degree for the 
many excellent specimens of tight-feathered birds, free from either Cochin or Game blood, exported to the.se 
Colonies during the past few years. The best type of birds I ever imported were from Mr. Keesling, of 
California, but they were not up to our idea of size, although up to the weight required by the Standard — 
viz., 9 lbs; for cocks, and 7 lbs. for hens. Still, they were the foundation, and as the cHmate here suited the 
breed so well, by crossing these with English-bred birds I have had cockerels at nine months old weighing 
13 lbs., and pullets at the same age weighing 9I lbs. These are exceptional weights, and I find 9 lbs. for 
cockerels, 1 1 lbs. for cockSj 7 lbs. for pullets, and 8^ lbs. for hens as heavy as I care for, because the 
excessively heavy birds are clumsy, and apt to get weak in the legs. As a generally useful bird the Langshan 
can hardly be surpassed. Given a good strain, there are practically 'no culls,' although, on account of the 
great number bred annually, some must stand out as Show specimens ahead of their fellows. The table 
qualities of this valuable breed are not fully recognised. They are the bearers of a large quantity of fine- 
grained white flesh of a very delicate flavour, and on account of the great length of breast, this part 
furnishes a larger proportion of meat than most breeds. Australians, I am pleased to state, are now waking 
up to the value of the Langshan as a high-class table Fowl. As layers, I maintain they have no equal. This 
is a big statement to make. There may be other varieties that will lay a few more eggs in a year, though, at 
the same time, I doubt it; but there is no other breed that will lay the same value of eggs. A Farmer, 
who has tried and tested the Langshan fully, once remarked to me : ' Any hen will lay eggs when they are 
7d. a dozen, but the Langshan is the only one I know of that will lay well when eggs bring big money in the 
Autumn and early Winter.' Some years back I made an experiment by placing 1 2 Langshan hens (six in 
each pen), keeping a record of the eggs laid from March ist to August 31st, and although during July and 
August we had cold, sleety winds, and a deal of snow (the two worst months we ever had here), these twelve 
hens averaged 107 eggs each. My neighbours, with other various breeds, obtained very few eggs during 
these months. I received an average of 2s. 3d. per dozen for the eggs during this period, or nearly 20s. 
worth of eggs from each hen for the six months. This would be hard to beat. 
