The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-06-19
THE MORGAN HORSE.


The Federal Government Is Trying to
Restore the Breed to Its Prominence
As Being the Best All-Round Horse
for America.
Lovers Of horses tie country over,
but particularly the farmers and light
harness drivers OF New England, will
follow with interest the results of the
effort Of the Agricultural Department to
restore the Morgan horse To its former
position Of dominance. AZ a result OF
1.-THE craze tit was little short Of that)
for animals Of heavier type, which
Western horses were brought IN to meet,
the serviceabIe Morgan has been allow
ed to run out, until it has become in
Icreasingly difficult to secure for general
use good specimens OF the type that
was the prevailing one in New England
towns scarcely more than d generation
ago. Now, however, the unfortunate re-
suits of this change OF taste are being
realized. II has been amply demonstrate
ted by costly experience that weight and
strength are not the equivalents Of the
hardness and alI-round adaptiveness
which arc tie distinguishing character
/ istics Of the smaller Morgan.
These qualities, with intelligence and
Edocility, made II pre-eminently the breed
for the small farmer, who keeps only
one animal for both farm and road
work. No other American horse has
shown the same recuperative vitality,
the ability to travel spjritedly TO church
on Sunday morning after an arduous
week Of haying. No other, in short,
has 50 thoroughly demonstrated its fit
ness for the responsible position Of the
only horse in the family The West
icrner which supplanted it was fitted TO
draw heavier loads on the level, but that
was almost its only advantage, and
strength did not mean endurance. Com.
lparatively small powers of adoption to
varied conditions aud demands prevent
ed It's perfect assimilation AS Il general
utility horse such as the small farmer
needs The New England hills. more.
over and the short, sharp slope from the
lower meadow 10 the barn, did not
FIT the imported animals temperament.
la creature built for routine, il con-.
trasted poorly with the nimbler, more
versatile Morgan, whose brisk walk,
even under load, gave evidence Of its
zest in work.
Nor was il merely ns a farmhouse
that the Morgan was esteemed. As 4
roadhorse for the business and profess
sional man, not seeking speed primarily,
but willing to move along briskly and
always ready for brush on the high
way, il was highly priced, and as a
family horse il was unexcelled, its
docility being All important factor. De.
sccnding from Justin Morgan, foaled in
1903, II was no uIlinportant factor in
developing the farmhouse in the East
from the ,Ingainly heavy footed animal
with which the coast farmers of fifty
years ago were apparently content.
I Hardly Is the development OF any other
means of loeomotion. the trolley or the
automobile, more striking than the pro-
gress that has been made III improving
the character Of the ordinary farmhouse.
But in New England progress began 10
move il the wrong direction when the
sturdy Morgan was replaced by the
heavy but strength-wasting Westerner.
And II Is now the aim Of the Govern
nent TO correct the error that was made
and 10 restore the type that was in dan
ger Of vanishing because OF 4 too belated
recognition Of its merits.
AZ the Interstate Horse and Automo-
bile Show held in Rutland, w., this
week, there has been brought together
one Of the most complete collections Of
standard bred Morgans that New Eng
land has seen for many years. Special
efforts were made to have this breed
well represented because of the Federal
Governments desire to secure the most
perfect types for breeding purposes at
( its experiment station in Burlington,
for which the sum of fifty thousand dol
liars was recently appropriated. This re-.
instatement OF the Morgan viii rank as
one Of the conspicuous services Of the
Department Of Agriculture. Providence
journal.