The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-11-23

ment are, to large extent, those which
he had recognized as destructive OF the
breed
At any rate, the government farm at
Weybridge has not won the confidence
OF many of those who hoped with Sen.
ator Proctor that the government might
succeed in perpetuating the Morgan
breed. The Issue is drawn with reason.
able clearness in the two department
circulars above referred to and an article
in the New England Farmer (Brattle-
boro, VII of April 8, 1910. II presents
the department, on the one hand, endeay-
oring to breed horse of Morgan mixea
with other blood, 1914 hands in height,
1 bearing a resemblance to the Morgan
conformation and being what is termed
a heavy harness horse as against the
perpetuation Of the small, typical old
fashioned Morgan Of strictly Morgan.
blood. The aim of TIE departments I'M
dertaking is high. While it recognizes
the futility Of trying to get extreme
track speed from the Morgan. it still
I would stick to the hitherto losing game
OF getting greater size with Morgan
conformation. 0utcrossing has not been
eliminated and much OF the governments
I breeding stock has no great amount of
y Morgan blood or type. For the govern
ment to succeed in the undertaking
would be a large achievement, but to
term the undertaking "the preservation
OF our native types of horses as the
department does. is quite inaccurate AT
all events, the government undertaking
1 is not the preservation of the Morgan
breed, if breed means blood and fixed
type
! Proceeding on other lines are a group
of breeders who have associated them.
selves into what is called the Morgan
Horse club, an organization whose pur-
pose is ito perpetuate the Morgan breed
Of horses by preserving the original
blood and type, rather than by effort
to bring about improvement or change
in size, speed or other features The
average American breeder, afame with
grand though probably indefinite thoughts
of progress and improving" this or that
breed, might disagree with the purpose
Of this club.
The answer is that the breed OF Nor.
gans has been going down hin through
stupid mongrelizing, until the number of
pure bred Morgans is few, that expert
enee has shown that the breed cannot be
converted into something larger or faster,
that If ii Is TO be saved It must be
through the judicious interbreeding of
the pure bred, typical specimens that
remain, and so strengthening, instead of
diluting the blood The work of the
Morgan Horse club will be hard enough,
but it is scientific, and it should sue
coed. The present plan of the depart.
ment is still harder to carry out, and
this century win be old when the work
is done.
The desirability of preserving the Nor. |
gan breed, whether in its ancient type
or in some larger form which many
would prefer, is generally recognized I
The Morgan blood, as is well set forth |
in the government publications and other /
standard works on American horses, has /
been of incaloulable value in building
up the worldwide regulations of the /
American trotter and the Kentucky sad. /
dlehorse-two types of horses that in |
comparatively recent years may per-
haps be said to have assumed the rank /
Of breeds. In the breeding of carriage I
horses OF size larger than the Morgans, I
the Morgan blood has also been used /
with great advantage. These uses Of I
the Morgan blood, wholly apart from /
the utility of Morgans as individuals. /
point TO the wisdom of preserving the |
breed for similar uses in the future. |
Whether the breed should or can be con-
verted into something large or whether |
il is safer TO stand by what always has /
been the normal Morgan type is the /
point on which the breeders of Morgans +
differ.
The Morgan Horse club has procured /
the entry OF several registered Morgans /
at the coming national horse show at /
Madison Square garden. In accordance /
with the traditions Of the breed, the +
stations as we'll as the mares win be /
shown in harness With few exceptions. |
the Morgans will be shown with I'M
locked tails, although il was formerly /
the custom in Vermont to dock the tails /
of the Morgans. These ATorgans will
not show such action as the haekneys 1
and other high steppers. The Morgans
are horses to cover distance briskly on
hills as we'll as on the level, in snow as
well as on bare ground. They are not
heavy harness horses nor are they
"drsught horses as the latter term is
now understand; but they are used az
farm work in competition with horses
of far greater bulk. They are strong
for their size. They retain their spirit
and usefulness until very old. AS saddle
horses. they may not be the best, al.
though for cavalry uses they have the
highest reputation The Morgan horses
of the First Vermont cavalry in the
Civil war are said to have outworked
and outlasted the horses of any other
regiment in the union army. They are
Of high spirit. full Of courage and grit.
but trsctable and easily controlled. In
short, they are, as they always have
been, the best general purpose horses
that the world has known.