The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-06-27
AericulturaA N'
Carriage Horse Breeding.
CoSpuovED N
ALBERT CHAPMAN.

2
appeared in Its issue of May 23d again
as teacher to the farmers of Addi-
son county Of the theory and practice
of horse breeding, aud did not seem
quite so fearful OF Two column article
as he did couple Of monthsago, when
it was "mv OK that was gored," and he
retired apparently 90 gracefully from
the contest admitting that which every
one has for years known, that the
breeding of horses was a science that he
knew very little about; indeed, how
could he? ~
Has he ever bred anything but the
two Insignificant Lambert mares that
his sons have been 30 busy for the two
or three years past making trotters of;
the mares that common report says, the
producing. horse service Of which was
donated for his able Defense of Lambert
Morgans. or Morgan Lamberts? Has
Mr.. Chapman been the owner of good
horses, or the driver of good horses, or
even the groom? or indeed of any
horses within the recollection ofman;'
as study, giving experience and
knowledge of his subject, that he
should be SO ably competent to pit his
knowledge of horse breeding against
those with years of experience with
large numbers Of horses, and always
with success in breeding, raising, fit
ting and putting into market? AT his
last issue before the one mentioned he
seemed to have doubts. Now it APP
pears he has renewed his courage, per-
haps by drawing inspiration from the
testimony of the twelve Cornwall horse
breeders! or perhaps from old sources
of information, promptings of Ethan
Allen stallion owners, who see the
brightness of their idols fame grow
ing dim, and are putting forth one more
desperate effort, de,Wier resort, right
in the midst of the stallion season, to re-
tain what they can of the prestige and
patronage they have had almost the
exclusive control of, for more than
twenty years, and with very unsatis-
factory results.
Mr.. G. says am first, last and all the
time advocating theory that tends to
my own pecuniary advantage. Could
l honestly advocate theory that had,
or would not tend to my own or some
one else's pecuniary advantage? Ger
tainly not; and herein lies the strength
of my theory ESQ called) that it is, and
always has been, to the pecuniarY adj
vantage of all who have adopted it and
followed it up. admit, may, claim,
that the theory l advocate, to wit:
breeding Morgan mares to Hambleto-
MAN or Clay stations, has been en-
NEATLY to my pecuniary advantage land
that it now ceases to be theory at all,
but experience and knowledge. The
time was when it was pure theory with
me, and l had no pccuniary advantage
to enhance. l advocated crossing Nor
gan and Ethan Allen mares with Mes
senger stations as early as 1867, three
years before had Messenger stallion ;
and advocated it as last resort in our
desperate strait with small horses, in
the diminished size that the great ma
jority of Vermont Morgan mares had
degenerated to by in and in breeding,
and not always with the best ones of the
species. l advocated il publicly in an
address before farmers meeting at
Brattleb0ro in the fall of 1868, and /
procured a Messenger stallion in 1870,
not because wanted stallion, never
did, but because no one else would get
one, or such a one as / was willing to
use, and / was determined to make the
experiment l believed in, and did make
1t, very greatly to my pecnniary advan-
tage afterwards and now. And have
never been selfish about it either; hug
cling my secret and keeping alone the
benefit of my own thought myself.
have offered to my neighbors freely, nay
urged, especially after the experiment
had proven success, and | urge II
again and again, and say with renewed
courage and assurance to the owners OF
Lambert, Ethan Allen or Morgan mares,
breed them to Clay or Hambletonian
stations, Abdallahs, or Mambrinos, OF
Bashaws or any other name of the vari-
GUS descendants of the great Messenger
AS / say, l advertised this theory as
early as 1863 publicly. In 1870 ] reit
Grated 1t in an address under the auspi
cies of the State Board of Agriculture
at Brandon, VT, and was most cruelty
attacked by Mr.. Chapman because pre-.
sumed to say horse could be bred by
taking an outside cross upon our Nor.
gan stock, that would be better than by
continuing the in and in process thai
was SO reducing size and weight.
quote from the address: "For it is nc
doubt true that the close built, round
swelled muscled little Morgan or Blacl
Hawk mares have as much true hors,
stamina as any in the world. 49, ant
these are qualifications that we canno
afford TO lose, and it is not necessary
we should. In the last few years Their,
has been growing opinion in thu
minds of the most intelligent hors,
breeders of our land that the old theor,
of large females, small males, though
good in practice, must give place in
measure to absolute facts as they ar,
developed from day to day and year I,
year, that tho fastest and best horses
those showing the best staying and en-
during qualities, are being produced
by breeding the small, fine boned, en-
during, cheerful, courageous fe
male to the coarse boned, larger size
heavy trotting horse; the produce tax
ing their bottom, their nerve, and thei
indomitable courage from the dam, ant
their square trotting, long, low, sweep
ing stride and size from the sire"
Is there anything antagonisiic to Nor
gans in thati Again quote: ella
not the experience of gentlemen tina
have bred thorobreds TO Abdallal
and Mambrino Chief In Kentucky
American Stars to Abdallah aud his re
nownsd son, Rysdyk's Hambletonian
In Orange County, N. y, demon
gtrated the fact that the greatest ant
best results may be expected from TIM
breeding the light, fine, cheerful, stay
ing Black Hawk, Morgan or Ehal
Allen mares to the larger, coarser Mes
senger or BashaW stallion, or indeed I,