The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-05-23
Agricultural Department.
os@SDrN5DiN9NstfTfN4
Horse Breeding,

by Col. Stokell, which we should have
answered attthe TING, but we wished to
collect somb facts, laid " look over.
soyne of the Records, which we have not
bebnDab td do until within a few days.
VIZ can assure the Colonel that we are
notsfraid Of any two-column article he
msyiwrite upon the subject, if he will
stickito facts and treat the matter fairly.
We Cannot think itIan evidence ofgood-
breediug forhim to charge us with hay
lug been hired by the owner of some
other stallion to attack his theory, and
it CONES with a poor grace from one
who3s first, last, and all the time adj
vocsting a theory that tends to his own
pecuhiary advantage. lie may belitle
the testimony of the twelve Cornwall
fatmers as much as he pleases, but he
cannot do away with their testimony.
Since that dine a large number more
hayes told us their opinion was the
same, and we have not yet asked one
for his opinion, that unreservedly advo-
catessthat way of breeding, or thinks IL
has proved profitable, either in produc-
ing horses for farm use, or TO sell.
The Colonel represents us as stating
things and advocating theories that we
have not stated or advocated. lie con
tinually claims we advocate breeding
little horses, and that speed is confined
mainly to small horses, and to Morgansi
Ethan Aliens, etc. This is mere asser'
ton; if the Colonel had stated when oil
where we made such assertions, or ad
vocated any such theories, he would
have been more fair, than in making
such statements, when he could moi
give the facts TO sustain them. Because
/ affirm that the little ones resulting
from breeding to moderate-sized sires,
which he speaks of so disparagingly,
are really more useful, and will bring
prices that better pay the raiser, than
the unsound, loose jointed, homely-
looking, vicious beasts that are so large
a portion of the stock from rangy and
coarse stations, that is no reason why
he should say l advocate breeding little
horses, and because l show that a large
proportion of the fast horses have de-
scendod through Morgan sires, and that
a large proportion of those that last,
and continue sound, are only medium
in size, he is not justified in saying that
l am Impressed that speed is confined
mainly to small horses, and especially
to those in an unbroken line Of Morgan
ancestry"
We have looked over the table in
Wallace's Monthly of sires of horses
that have trotted in $3.50 or better, and
cannot see how Col. Stowell can get the
figures he gives, although he resorts to
the usual practice of those who wish to
disparage Morgans, Of CHASING the
Clays and Hambletonians~ together, and
then talking of Morgans, Black Hawks,
Morrills, Gold Dusts, Ethan Aliens and
Lamberts, as if they were not all Nor
gans and belonged to the same family.
A careful investigation of that table
gives, we think, 81 Morgan stations
that have sired 151 horses that have
trotted 1887 heats in 2:30 or better.
There are also ten more stations in the
same list, that we should not be sur
prised if they should prove to have de-
scended through Morgan sires. These
have sired IS more horses that have
trotted 255 heats in $3.50 OF better.
Where Col. Stowell finds his 366 Ham
bletonian and Clay performers scoring
4,737 heats we cannot tell; we cannot
make out more than 1877 Hamble.onians
that have trotted 1884 heats in 2:30 or
better, and 46 Clays Or Patchens that
have trotted 609 heats in 2:30 or better.
Col. StowelT claims Rarus, with his 16i
heats in 2:30 or better, in his class of
Hambletonians and Clays, but until his
pedigree is traced to a certainty, we
have just as good a right TO claim him
as a Morgan, and nc better, than he had
to claim IN Wallace's Monthly, that all
the horses sold the last year by him
were all bred according to his theory.
In the April number of Wallace's
Monthly there is q classification of the
horses that trotted in $3.50 or better in
1873, by 90. VIC" This classification !
gives the Ethan Aliens IA performers,
scoring 9o heatsin 2:30 or better, other ]
Vermont Black Hawks enough to make q
the total for that family, AZ horses scor- G
ing 1S4 heats in 2:30 or better, and Z !
other Morgans with 25 more heats in @
that time, making In all 40 Morgans
with 09 heats in the 2:3O list, while the !
fatchens and other Clays show but u T
performers with 80 heats in that class, L
and the whole Bashaw family, includ y
ng the Clays, have but little more than
lalf the number of horses in the 2:3O1oo
lass thatethe Morgans have. IL
The Hambletonians lead in numberI {
# horses as we'll as heats, showing 63 =
performers with Ala heats in 2:30 or IL
ess. TCol. Stowell inhis article read q OF
ONE of the meetings of the Board 0 o'
agriculture, and afterward published y
n the report of the secretary of the IN
'oard, says we must not breed from al
lorgans. because they are not fast W
nough. If he discards the Morgans ~
this reason, why should he advocate
reeding from the Ratchens and Claws, II,
hen they made isnch q poor showing en-
1 the speed test last year in COMPARE ST,
'n with the family he belittles so at
luch. We are just the least bit inclined ST,
think that Col. stowclls Judgment tn
lay be affected by his owning a STALL on
n that has descended from Patcben or w