Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-02-21
MORGANS AND THOROUGH
BREEDS.


company of Carpentcrsville, lll.' is OF
general interest:
Erjrn9 DupfoR In answer to your IN
auirv as to fiual results from me thor-
ougbbrcd cross on our Morgans, must
say that NV experience does not approve
of any such mons ensc. use thls eN-
preston because was, 10 years ago so
thoroughly imbued with this idea, Whiie
now it seems to me that no one but
crank could have expected an improve
ment of our grand little horse. the Nor
gan. by infusing one single ualt or
characteristic of the thoroughbred III the
makeup of the best general purpose
horse ever bred.
"Oh! but Justin Morgan was all or
nearly all thoroughbred, says one
Concede this to be true; there never was
and fear never will be another justin
Did the size and makeup of Justin in
any way indicate the four-mlle race
horse? If thoroughbred he was he was
a freak, and had none of the thorough
bred characteristics. The same may De
said of Rysdvk's IIambletonian, and
still he never produced son nor
daughter that could keep race morse
warm without a blanket. Experience
keeps dear school, but there Is one
class that can learn at no other. Fiji
teen years ago tramped all over Ken
lucky to find just the right klnd OF
thoroughbred to increase the size, style
and finish of my little Morgans, ana
bought the best one | could ma ana
have him yet. Kind, gentle, solid baY'
could trot in 80 and as stylish Il thor
oughbred as ever saw, l6 hands high
bred large. etc. Oh! yes, | had my
ideal: woman could drive him and did
in a show-ring, and he wore more blue
ribbons than any horse ever saw, and
what was more, he reproduced himself
with one exception (tractability) in an
extraordinary manner. In this immedl-
ate vicinity he produced $50 sons and
daughters, 90 per cent of which never
could be trained and handled to make
safe driver or that could pull two men
in buggy so far that any Morgan
ever bred couldn't double the distance
and show it less. At the same time
bought a little runt of yearling OF
Gen. Withers, sired by Ethan Allen,
dam by Almont, and the comparison is
odious in results.
am now driving a pair sired by him
from his own daughters. How is that
for inbreeding? Now | will make Il
present to any man of this pair who will
follow me and keep in sight for 10 or 20
miles with any half thoroughbred team
living. While an outcrOss, and particu-
larry violent one. like the thorough
bred, will increase the size, 1t will Just
as surely reduce the quality in much
greater proportion. The desirable quail
ties have been contaminated by rats in
the thoroughbred which are to be de-
sired for race or saddle horse, but not
for general purpose one.
Did you ever try to fit a harness to "A
thoroughbred: They won't fit; and
how nicely one sits on the poorest Nor
gan. While no horse compares with the
thoroughbred for gambling machine
and simple racing speed, no improve
ment could be reasonably expected Of
the Morgan by adding these traits; and
your next cross, God only knows what
you would get. No. Bro. Dunton,
don't advise you or any one else to cross
with thoroughbreds, NOrmans or Clydes,
but do as nature has done for the bufla-
10, deer, elk, in fact all animal creation
bred in line till they will look alike, act
alike and be alike Then you will know
what you have got to drive, to sell and
for business, and any novice can tell al
glance you have Morgan. Your
hveryman will want him, your doctor
will want him, your huckster will want
one, and your race-hOrse man will want
one to drive home. Your family will be
safe with one, and when you are blue,
tired and sick he will fan you in better
shape, with more spirit and safety, thar
any other family of horses ever bred
You asked for my experience and
have gwen it in outline above as my
own conclusions after 40 years con
tinuous horse-breeding of all classes.
have experimental with them al
and now do not own a single one Eek
cept small family of thOroughbreds,
that hasn't two or more Morgan crosses
and want no others.
If a big horse is wanted, get the draft
horse; if you make the cross you may
get the size, but the Morgan snap viii
unjont him in SIX months. You mus
have the Morgan bone and muscle tC
carry the Morgan head. | am glad t
have you call Bro. Battell down. Jus
ask him to breed one of his one-hal
thOrOuOhb reds handle him. drive him I