Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-12-05
Copyright 1914
BLACK LANGSHANS
BY Louis Paul Graham

o'clock in the morning and after 8
o'clock in the afternoon. If nest is
allowed for every three hens in the
pen, it will not be necessary to look
after them oftener than four times a
day-but even if it would be necessary
to so around every hour during that
laying period, it would be time profit
ably spent. If the traps are conve-
niently arranged, one man can look
after fifty nests in ten minutes.
Trap Nest No Guesser
The trap nest is no guesser. 1t de-
velops a positive fact. 1t tells the
truth. The cackling hen caught in a
trap is proved to be either layer or
a liar. There are too many of the
latter class in almost every farm
flock
1 do not follow trapping the year
round. | am more anxious to have
strong winter laying than ] am year.
round records. 1 prefer starting my
their use May 81. This gives me seven
of the best months, and l know that
40 eggs laid in that period show the
hen to be a 2OO-egg per year layer. |
also feel that 125 eggs in those seven
months would about equalize a 2O0-egg
layer. And any pullet that will lay
not less than 100 eggs in that time is
when prices are high. BY breeding up
my strongest cold-weather layers can
get them.
1 do not like trapping during the
remaining five months (June l to No
vember II for the reason that it is the
season for much broodiness in the
flocks and the weather during the
summer is too hot.
Shortly after the Celestial Empire
was opened to foreign trade in 1862
many of it's distinctive breeds of fowls
and animals were imported to Eu-
rope. chiefly through England. From
the Langshan district in China came
the big beautiful black fowls which
bear the name-Langshans- as
such they We're known until in later
importations some -hite and some
mottled Langshans were found. Then
the first Langshans were distinguished
by prefiXing Black.
History does not record their date
or manner of origin. Inquiry among
the Chinese brought nothing more
than 'I do not know; it was always
So" They are peculiar to the Lang
shan district, and have been from time
immemorial.
The great size of this breed and its
wonderful laying qualities made it an
immediate favorite in England. Its
fame spread to Australia and the
United States and the fowls followed
their fame. Many weer imported to
America from England and many were
imported direct from China. These
all possessed the same good qualities
and for many years were very popular.
Valuable Utility Fowl
The American breed in the United
States and the OrpinSton in England
and Australia had much to do with
their decline in popularity. but they
are yet widely esteemed and bred for
their valuable utility qualities. In
Australia within the last ten years, a
pen of Langshans in laying competi-
ton extending over one full year, with
all varieties of poultry represented.
won first place with the highest total
of eggs laid.
In America they are widely bred in
the. South and probably some of the
very best specimens exhibited In our
poultry shows are from that section.
This fowl belongs to the Asiatic
family, which it resembles in size and
weight. Full-grown specimens weigh
to 10 pounds for females, and 3 to
II pounds for males. The hens do well
either in confinement or on free range
and are good winter layers of large,
rich. brown eggs, and all ages make
splendid table poultry.
Their rich. glossy, greenish- black
plumage contrasts pleasantly with
their bright combs, wattles and ear
lobes, and the plumage does not show
the soil when the fowls are kept in
small quarters.
Chicks grow rapidly and reach
broiler size at an early age, while the
mature young fowl is much esteemed
for roasting purposes.