The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-01-02
Horses.

The first question therefore, is, what
1t is not to be expected that any one
breed will combine in itself every re-
quisite in the highest perfection. Heavy
draught horses weighing twelve hun
dred pounds each, will take a pillow,
running six to eight inches deep.
through a stiff clay greensward without
wincing or wriggling, aud can haul two
tons of coal up moderate grade with
out straining and stiffening their mus
cles; but comparatively little of such
work is to be done OH the farm. The
great majority of the work required OF
farm team can better be done by
horses weighing nine or ten hundred
each than by span whose united
weight is over ton. If q stiff piece of
greensward is to be turned over, or
some heavy rocks are to be hauled il is
cheaper to hire all OK team than to keep
heavy horses for this purpose. The
extra expense OF hiring will be but q
small fraction of the extra keep of the
large horses. On farms of one hundred
acres or more, where much blowing is
to be done, or stone to be got out it is
good economy to keep yoke of oxen
as well as a span of horses. Even il
the oxen are not worked much, they
can be made 10 pay in making beet.
Their keep and trappings cost but lit
tie in comparison with those of horses,
aud they are very handy TO have around
in haying and other busy seasons.
The breed that comes nearest to our
idea of farm horse is the Morgan, one
which originated in Vermont, and
doubtless is descended from the old
Norman horses originally brought from
France by the French settlers of Cana.
da. In their native land the Norman
horses are large, often weighing sixteen
hundred and even seventeen hundred
pounds, and stand sixteen Or seventeen
hands high, but in Canada, the breed,
doubtless due to soil and climate in
part, but more to careless treatmen
and crossing, has degcnerated in size
aud form, but the Canuck, us the Cana
dian horse is called, still shows his no.
BILE origin. He is built conpactly, has.l
strong limbs and sound feet and won
derfnl strength of constitution, which
enables him to work hard and seldom
say Tired and never say die. Whoever
u
Montreal. after one OF these Canucks-
the hack-drvers there seldom owning "A
span must have telt his compassior
stirred for the horse compelled to draw
so large vehicle and heavy load, bn,
the driver-generally the Owner-will |
not allow that the beast is overtaxed,
aud says that he lives to good old age,
doing this same heavy work every day.
" have used the Cunucks ON our farm
and the, are certainly the
best workers for their inches that we
ever owned, and AS for endurance, we
know nothing can equal them. Tough
as Canada pony" has passed into a
proverb.
The Vermont Morgan is an improved
Canucker--larger, more symmetrical,
lighter limbed, and fleetcr footed, but
still retaining the general Characters
tics Of the Norman Canadian. Those
who insist to the utmost on pedigree
may deny that the Morgan is entitled
10 the rank of a distinct breed, and it is |
'ruc that his sires and dams cannot be |
traced in all purity 10 La Perche, in
France, whence the Norman Percherou
If to-day comes in all his strength aud |
beauiy. But il might as well be object
ed to the Percheron as a distinct breed, |
because his sires and dams cannot be |
Traced to Arabia, whel g. the crusaders |
are claimed To have bought them. No |
matter whether the Morgan is distinct |
breed or not according 10 thoroughbred !
rules, 1t Is enough for the farmer to
know that he is thorough going farm
horse, and that his qualities are perpet-
uated in his posterity with the fixed
ness so characteristic of the Norman |
breed. Some farmers object to the |
Morgans as not having sufficient weight,
but the strength and endurance of a |
horse are not wholly dependent upon
his avoirdupois. A good sized Morgan
weighs about one thousand pounds, and
this is the right weight for horse of
all work. Besides, the Morgan Is so
built that he is great for his |
inches, and his strength is beyond his |
We have known grade |
Morgan to travel from Massachusetts |
to Canada (Lhree hundred miles) in six |
days drawing buggy by no means
light and two full grown persons, and |
returning the same distance in the same |
time. This Is not fast according to |
modern fast ideas, but II Is faster than |
most 2:40 horses can 20 on so long a
stretch, and with such luggage. New
York Times.