The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1922-02-10
FUTURE OF THE MORGAN
HORSE.
Windsor Breeder Comments Upon
What Federal Government
Is Doing.

The following article is lette
from A F Phillips, the Morgan Hors
Breeder, printed in the Windso
Journal:
'T was rather disheartened upo
the receipt of the circular from tn
u. S. Department of Agriculture re
garding the work they are doing t
perpetuate the blood of Justin Nor
gan. The author of the circular
speaking of the movement to con
serve the best blood, mentions tn
diluting and scattering of valuabl
Morgan blood for many years with
out anyone giving serious thought t.
the matter. At least, that no de
finite action has been taken until
comparatively few years ago, whel
several public spirited men, WIFI
knew personally of the many merit
orious qualities of the Morgan blood
made an effort to preserve the bes
specimens of the blood. In 1906 thu
United States Department of Agri
culture and the Vermont State Elk
pertinent Station were authorized tx
assemble small band of Morgan
mares.
'The author speaks of the move
ment appealing to Mr. Battell, and
that he gave to the United States
Department of Agriculture farm Of
400 acres, two miles north of Middle
bury.
ct have always understood that the
IT. S. Government leased the farm
for a period of years at a rental OF
$1,000 per annum and then it was to
be decided to the government.
adapted for the purpose of raising
horses as it had no brooks or running
water and the land was poor.
ga we'll 485 feet deep had to be
drilled and the water pumped to the
different pastures, such as they were
and the horses were obliged to drink
from trough. If there is one thing
a horse requires it is fresh, pure
water and that is impossible under
their present arrangement.
"The idea of selecting a horse
farm without running streams and
being obliged to sink a we'll 485 feet
deep and requiring an expensive
pumping station to supply the water,
when there were hundreds of farms
in Vermont suitable for the purpose
that could have been purchased for
less than the pumping station and
the equipment.
1.-THE circular states that they have
some of the best Morgan blood in the
nO11r1ty~U Thai. ,Nray,os1r
"Troubadour of Willowmore" 6459,
sired by '"Troubadour," horse carry
ing only ID per cent of Morgan
blood; his sire only had a per cent;
his dam, Fannie End, % per cent.
"The idea of selecting horse
like Troubadour of Willowmore as
their premier stallion to perpetuate
the blood and type of the Morgan
horse is simply ridiculous to real
breeder and fancier. If it is size
they are looking for let them select
some of the other breeds, but don't
call the animal | saw at the State
Fair last autumn, Morgan horses.
They should have been labelled for
no old Morgan horse breeder would
ever have taken them for members
Of that family.
Laura Jay, that they consider
their best individual, is a we'll bred |
mare but poor individual. They
speak of these animals as having |
won in the showing where blood has
never been taken into consideration
and judged by men who were not at
all familiar with the type.
"All the U. S. Government seems
20 be looking for is size and that |
will never perpetuate the Morgan
horse.
"First, one must have pure blood;
hen, by care, feed and selection we
,an obtain size, but we cannot have !
Morgan characteristics without the
blood.
''The U. S. Government seems to be
n hurry and forgets the object for
which this government made the
original appropriation and has not
selected the proper individuals to
larry on the work.
ST am one of those public spirited |
men who have made an effort to pre-
serve the best and purest bred speci-
mems of the breed, and now have Al
head whose average percentage is
little less than % per cent, the
amount "Green Mountain 2nd' and |
clifford carried sixty-fve years ago.
There is not one man nor a COM
of men now living or who
ever lived that have half the num-
per. 1t is shame that the U. S.
government should be allowed to
continue as they are present. The
people of Vermont should rise up |
from Jay to Pownal and from Burke |
to Bridport, everywhere, and take
hand with me to save the dear old |
Morgan horse from determination
which it surely will be if they con-
tinue as they have in the past at the
government farm at Middlebury. 1t
IS a disgrace and a SANDER upon
Justin Morgan to have the coming |
generation shown the statue upon |
The farm and lot fbarn c,,yyoco - /