Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-01-17
THE MORGAN HORSE
He Is Coming into His Own Again
in Vermont.
Government and state Engaged IN
breeding Experiments In This City
what Has Been Done Up 10
abe Present Time.

visit was made by n Free Press ro-
porter Monday to the stables on Col
chester avenue where interest In the
breeding of the Morgan horse is being
revived by the United States government
in conjunction with the Vermont state
Experiment station. The stables are To-
Gated In the large field used as the col
lege athletic park and are set we'll back
from the street. The reporter was cor
daily greeted by w. +. Hammond, an
expert on the breeding of the Morgan,
horse, and during o very pleasant inter
view many facts regarding the intentions
of the board of control of the agricul-
tural experiment station ard the United
States government were related. The
stables were opened. a tour OF inspection
of the entire place was made and vari-
Gus points about the business were ex-
/ pla minutely to the reporter.
The Morgan horse has ar interesting
1 history since the FIRST colt was bred In
/ 1858 in Springfield. Conn, by Justin Nor
gan. In that year Mr.. Morgan was the
! possessor OF beautiful American horse,
/ and the animal was bred to ar English
horse. True Briton, captured from Col.
James Delaney, an English army officer.
/ The colt was born in the next year and
was given the name of Figure Pre-
vious to the birth OF the colt, however,
Mr.. Morgan had moved to Randolph. VT
4 Soor. after the birth of the colt the ami
NAL was sent north and Mr.. Morgan en-
tered quite extensively into the raising of
| colts. The horse had been classed as
Morgan bred because of his first owners
name Soon after the colt reached ma
turity his ramc was changed to Justin
Morgan. From that animal has sprung
the horse that the government Is now at
tempting to again raise in order to i'm
prove the standard in this state.
During the early part OF last year a
commission was appointed by the gov
ernment consisting Of Cassius Peck of
this city. George Rommell of Wash
ington. d. C., and Prof. T.. i. Curtis. OF
the Iowa experiment station, to Sc
lect a suitable number of we'll I'd
Morgans to perpetuate and increase
the Morgan horse. For some time this
commission labored to get as nearly a.
possible the type and blood Of the firs'
Morgan horse and conducted thctl
search to procure horses that would
conform to certain rules such as shor'
back, long arched neck, small head
small ears wide between the eyes
strong muscular limb and either chest
nut, brown or bay In color to MAKE
fine drivers and for general purposes
and not characterized for their speed
To this end they advertised to some ex
tent and in due time found in variou!
sections of the State suitable horses
They succeeded in getting nine mares
with foal. including two horses from
Kentucky, besides three colts. Amoni
the mares secured was Ellen, beau
tiful Morgan bought of Joseph Battel
Of Middlebury n prominent horseman
Ellen was sired by Rocky Noun
tain, he by Motion, he by the fam
Gus Daniel Lambert, he by Etna'
Allen, and he by Sherman's Blac'
Hawk. with dam, Young Benedic
Morrill,. She stands 1872 hands hig'
and is of perfect Morgan type. Tn
horse took a premium at the st. Lou'
exposition in 1904 as the finest mar
Of any age. She Is considered the hes
animal at the stables
Mr.. Hammond. who is in charge OF IN
stables. was formerly from MlddIenNr
ard for four years was associated VII
, Mr. Battell, who has about 50 high blooc
1 cd horses He received his appointmer
1 to the position Of expert on July an
! has been here since that time. Mr.. Ham
. mond has spent the greater part or n
| life in hushandry and IS very conversai