The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-07-01
THE MORGAN HORSE.

Morgan. He dates back ito the time
that tried mems souls. He is ours as
a trophy of the Revolution, as the
sire of the first animal that was ever
known as a Morgan was captured from
a British officer. At the time this
breed originated the demand was for
an all-purpOse horse, and how well 1T
filled this place, every well-posted low
err of horse flesh the country over
knows Numerous tests and trials es-
tablished the fact that Justin Morgan,
the first of his race, could outwalk,
outtrot, outrun, outpull and outstyle
any other horse of his day, and this
same claim was made for his offspring
for years to come.
The old-time Morgan was a small
animal, being 141a to Is hands high
and weighing from eight to nine hun
dred pounds, but the interesting and
incredulous tales told of his wonder
full achievements, his strength, powers
of endurance, speed, style and almost
human sagacity would fill volumes and
yet the story would not be half told.
Up to the time that Ethan Allen was
dethroned as king of the turf he had
been the great speed horse of the
country, and even today many of our
fastest, truest, handsOmest and endur-
ing speed horses carry large percent
age of the old Morgan blood, and it
detracts nothing from their ability to
achieve success, or their price when
put upon the market. But the Morgan
horse today excels, as he did CEN
fury ago, as general purpose horse.
1t is true this is an age of specialties,
and we now have breeds of horses
adapted to many special purposes, but
withal there is a place and an in
creasing demand for an all-purpose
horse, especially on the farm, and the
Morgan of today comes nearer meeting
the demand than anything else.
Since most breeders of Morgan
horses have quit striving for extreme
speed, and pay more attention to- the
qualities which go to make an ideal
roadster, they find that they are in
field where there is little competition
and not much prospect of encounter
ing any in the near future. Men who
are breeding this class, of horses are
not boasting so much about what they
can do on a race track in two minutes
as what they can accomplish on the
road in an hour or a day, and then
turn around and repeat it. Much more
attention is being paid to the syste-
matte breeding and perpetuation OF
the Morgan horse than there was a
few years ago.
The new government breeding sta
tion for the perpetuation of the Nor
gan horse established at Weybridge
as a result of the generosity of priv
ate citizen of Vermont, is almost COM
pleted. The Morgan horse is, perhaps,
the most famous of all the products
of Vermont and one of the most noted
types of horse flesh produced in the
United States.
Col. Joseph Battell, of Middleblry,
long known throughout Vermont as
the leading champion of the Morgan
horse and the most extensive breeder
of the animal, consulted the officers
of the Department of Agriculture at
Washington, and having secured their
cooperation, presented to that depart
ment a tract of 500 acres of pasture
and woodland in Weybridge. On this
land the department agreed to estab-
lish a breeding station for the Nor
gan horse. Around the entire farm
has been placed wire fence six feet
high The government has already
expended about $4,000 on the breed
ing station. All the buildings are light
err by electricity and heated by steam
The new breeding station is in the
shadow of the long, undulating Grand
View mountain ridge, along the banks
of the Winding Otter creek, and only