Evening star., 1909-05-21
SCIENCE IN BREEDING
''Uncle Sam" Engages in Rails
ing Horses, Cows, Etc.
CROSSING WITH MORGANS
Endeavoring to Form American Type
Of Carriage Horse.
NEW CLASSIFICATION DRAFTED
Work In Vermont Given a Great
Impetus by the Presentation
Of a 9OO-Acre Farm.
NEW CLASSIFICATION DRAFTED

BIZ WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
Mr.. A. G.. Danforth OF Washington,
Ill. asks about '.the horse-breeding enter
prises on which Uncle Sam embarked a
couple of years ago. and what advantage
may be expected from them7'
Specific work in horse-breeding by the
government Of the United States and ex-
periments in animal breeding in cooper
alton with state agricultural experiment
stations were undertaken in 1905 by
authority of Congress and an appropria-
ton OF $4,000 was made that year. In
1907 the amount was increased to $50, ,OOO
Carriage horses Of the standard Bred
type are being bred In Colorado, Morgan
horses In Vermont, gray draft horses at
the Iowa experiment station, milking
shorthorn cattle at the Minnesota sta
tion, range sheep at the Wyoming sta
tion, southern beef at the Alabama sta
ton, animal nutrition work at the Penn
sylvania station and experiments in feed
ing steers for beef at the Missouri sta
ton. but the greater part OF the appro-
priation is being devoted to producing a
standard Bred carriage horses at the
Colorado station and in attempting to re-
store the purity of the Morgan horse in
Vermont.
In answer to my question DR.. George
M. Rommel of the bureau of animal in
dustry of the Agricultural Department,
| who has immediate charge of the work,
says:
Breeding Of Carriage Horses.
"The original appropriation for animal
breeding was made as q result of the
efforts of Mr.. Eugene H. Grubb of Car
bondale. Col, and Prof. w. l.. Carlyle
of the Colorado experiment station, and
| after due consideration it was concluded
that the soil and climatic condition of
Colorado provided excellent opportunities
for the production of carriage horses of
quality, substance and endurance. Car
rfage horses, rule, are the most valu-
able: as result Of the strong demand
the supply has been gradually diminish
ing. and. Notwithstanding all of the i'm
portations Of the carriage type from
abroad, the American horse was pre-
ferred.
Until the department undertook this
work no one had ever made a consistent,
systematic and long continued effort to
develop the most useful traits of the ma
tive horse, to improve and fix his quail
ties; even trotting horse men were prone
to overlook the great value Of the breed
outside of its ability as a race horse. 1t
was to save these valuable marketable
characteristics and to show how the ma
able to the farmer that the government
undertook the work of developing car
riage horse from native material.
THE first purchase was made from a
mares in foal to French coach horse;
the second purchase included the stallion
CarmOn, formerly known as Glorious
Thundercloud, and twelve mares bred in
the corn-belt states and Kentucky. The
third purchase included the mares Bea-
trfce, sired by Highland Denmark out Of
a daughter of Harrison Chief, and Mann
brina. by King Lancelot out of daugh-
ter of Mambrino King. Later we pur-
chased mares from different breeders in
Kentucky and all Of them have been bred
along lines for the production Of horses
Of the carriage type Indeed. we got the
best blood to be obtained In Kentucky.
In addition to these we have the stallion
horse. both In general confirmation and
action. He possesses much substance,
quality and finish. and is a promising sire
of carriage horses.
perfectly satisfactory; he is sure
breeder. his colts have good size and
splendid action, and the American car
riage horse bred at the Fort Collins ex-
pertinent station will be all that can be
desired.
Senator Proctor's Suggestion.
'"The first suggestion that the depart
ment take steps to preserve the Morgan
horse from extinction came from the late
Senator Redfield Proctor of Vermont, and
was made in 1904. Certain influences
have been slowly driving the old Morgan
stock to the wall, although the Morgan
type and Morgan blood still exist, not
only In Vermont, but in Illinois, Ken
lucky. Missouri and other states and it's
influence upon the saddle horse, as we'll
as the driving horse, are well understood.
Morgan breeding was arranged for by the
Agricultural Department In cooperation
with the Vermont experiment station in
the fall Of 1905, and in making selections
the effort was to get the true Morgan
type with an increase In size and quality
over that possessed by the old Morgan.
However, the type was not sacrificed to
size. Seven mares and two FLIES were
purchased In Vermont, and Prof. Curtiss
of the Iowa experiment station and my
self spent some time in Kentucky. where
we purchased two mares as an expert
ment. the idea being that q careful out
cross made by selecting blood Of Harrison
Chief ON q Morgan foundation would give
increased size and quality without being
violent and likely to destroy the desirable
type OF characteristics.
1.-The Kentucky purchase caused con-
siderable comment among horsemen on
account Of It's novelty, one critic going SO
far as to say that the government was
attempting to restore the Morgan type
by the same method used to destroy 1t,