Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-06-07
The MORGAN HORSE.
JOSEPH BATTELL.
MiddleburV, VI.
WHAT ONE OF HIS OLO-TlME FRIENDS
SAYS OF HIS GREAT MERITS AND
USEFULNESS.


as the horse himself; nor has it yet been
exhausted. | shall not attempt to eX-
haust it in this paper. however, but will
simply call the readers attention to
few simple facts connected herewith.
1t has been said. and | doubt not with
much truth, that fact is stranger than
fiction. In regard to breeding the
horse, as well as drawing water, it Is a
wise maxim to follow, THAT bitter
fountain cannot send forth sweet water {;
and accepting that maxim for our guide,
we will assume that no one will from
choice be so foolish as to mate imperfect
animals. But suppose a man should,
and that he mates two animals, both OF
which are as homely as wrath. What,
ask, may he hope the offspring to be,
If not as homely as the parents? True
there have been cases in which the foal
did not resemble either parent; but those
cases were the exception, not the rule,
and proves that it takes generations to
rid our country of animal impertections,
and that faint is quite as easily handed
down from generation to generation as
perfection. What man is so blind that
he cannot see that imperfect seed plant.
ed wear after year will in time destroy
the quality Of the grain? While, on the
other hand, the person who goes through
his fields at the earliest moment when
his wheat begins to ripen, plucking the
earliest and most promising heads, and
continues to do so for a few years, SOW
ing those selections year after year, will
eventually produce an earlier variety
and better quality of grain.
The breeding of the famous Bates fam
ily of cattle was from similar method.
An imperfect auimal was mated with one
eXcelling where the other was deficient,
until the type required was produced.
Pursuing a similar course in horse
breeding, similar results will be accom-
pished. True, men may disagree as TO
what constitutes animal perfection, and
may blunder into success. For exam
pie: When Mr.. Stout made culling
out of mares several years ago, with all
his sagacltv he made Il mistake in sell
ing the mares that afterwards produced
Axtel and Allerton; and Mr.. Williams
bundered into buying them, and thus
made fortune from tina. purchase.
What are the characteristics to cult
vate? Well, that depends upon the uses
to which the horse is to be put. We will
Ia, /. 81, no ,.rl,t
better say, general purpose horse.
And because the breeding of the general
purpose horse is less understood, and
that horse Is in greater request than the
turf horse, we have thought a few words
might stimulate men to better activity
in his production, and thus we might be
a means of doing good. Those who re-
member me will recall the fact that |
was for many years one OF the Morgan
cranks." If ever was, am one still.
The Morgan horse. as is well known by
many of the old men of the day, was the
ideal general purpose horse of his time ;
a compact, muscular, bony, nervy,
rugged, medium-sized horse, one of the
most cheerful under difficulties, a MINI
Bile, fl ee and easy mover. and was pos
sessed of an excellent stomach. with
muscles of steel and hoofs like iron.
Needed nc check-rein to make him carry
his head in "a jaunty fashion, nor far
rier's knife to make him carry his tail
in nice position. The poet tells us
that Prometheus having made beautl-
full statue of Minerva, the goddess was
so delighted that she offered 20 bring
down anything from heaven which
coud.add to its perfection. Whereupon
Prometheus prudently asked that he
might he taken to heaven so that he
could choose for himself. This reques t
Minerva granted, and Prometheus,
finding that in heaven all things were
animated by fire, brought back a spark
with which he gave life to his work.
Those of my readers who remembered
the old-time Morgan horse will agree
with me, | think, that he must have been
animated by that self-same spark which
gave life to Prometheus' statue. Fol
lowing that rule, and using the same
precaution, what better can the horse
breeder do than to have recourse to ma
ture herself? Nature that is ever at
hand, and always ready to minister to
our needs. As we watch the stars at
night they seem so still and notion
less we can hardly realize that they are
rushing on through space with such
marvellous velocity. just 50 the breed
ing problem. TO him who watches il
from day to day, from month to month,
and from year to year, the progress
seems so slow that he can scarcely real
ize that it is moving forward with such
wonderful speed. To create family OF
horses, however, is not the work of a
day, but of Il generation. From the day
when Beautiful Bay begot Justin