Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-04-24
SOUND SENSE.

From Dunton's Spirit of the Turf
Men have been spending fortunes in
breeding horses, but have not a well-de-
fined family which in any way compares
with the Morgans for a general purpose
horse. The general purpose horse is the
one above all Others that is most in re.
quest to-day. Are men ignorant of that
fact? Do they all suppose, tor one mo-
hent, the horse that can cover Il mile in
2:O65 is the all-important horse to breed?
Even to this day, neglected as the Nor.
gans have been as family, any man
who has any knowledge of them will
tell you that in looking over the horses
at our fairs, he can pick the Morgans
with as much certainty as he can the
Percherons or Clydesdales. With won
derful prepotency and uniformity in
breeding, exquisite beauty, high spirit
and courage, intelligence, tractableness
and long-lived; does any one eyer expect
to see breed of all-purpose horses pos
sessing more of these splendid qualities:
Their small size is against them for
show, but not for utility. They fall but
very little below the other trotting fam
lilies when tested on the scales, but of
course in height they average much less.
What we wish most to impress upon
your minds to-day is, that men in New
England, with red school-house educat-
alton. UNIV ittingly bred family of hor-
SEES, which men with millions of dollars
have not been able to equal in fifty years.
The curse of the whole Hambletonan
tribe is in the lack of uniformity of size
and looks. The Morgans were Uniform
ly low set, up-headed. with beautiful
action, and endowed with marvellous en-
durance. Now then, pray tell us. if men
have made no Improvement in the char
acter of our all-purpose horses in fifty
years breeding, how long will it take to
get back to the point where they started.
fifty years ago, when breeders began to
let go of the Morgans: TO increase
the size of the Morgans is not
slow process: but if it were, long before
breed could be established from the
mongrels now in popular use the Nor
gan could be brought to the required
size and made the ideal and perfect horse.
But we must cease this everlasting cross
ing business if we wish to preserve the
Morgan and his noble qualities. But"
says one, ''what must | do. How shall
begin, that | may produce the horse
that is most in request for all work."
We will state the plan briefly. First, we
will tell you what we have. \ class of
horses gifted for great speed and bottom.
long lived and good disposition; but
they are generally homely, big-headed
and low-headed, and have too much day
| light under them: while the one i'm
mensely important element, that of uni
formity in any of the qualities needed
for general purpose horse, is totally
wanting. Hence, we must pick up the
best fragments of beauty we can find
among the Morgans. Golddusts, Mambri-
no Kings. Denmarks, Iliyhlanders and
thoroughbreds, and breed them together
until we have a uniform type. In the
Morgan family you will find plenty of
GOlddusts, Fearnaughts, Magma Chartas,
descendants of Green Mountain Morgan
and King Herod. Go to work in earnest
and with Judgment, and it will not be
very long before you will get back to
the point where we left off fifty years
ago.