DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MORGAN. 37 



I. " Rpvenge ' was foaled in Claremont, N. H., out of a " middle-sized 

 white mare, of no particular blood." 



II. " Shermau Morgan," raised in Lyndon, Vt., was from a " chestnut 

 colored mare, of rather light bone, and said to be of English blood." 



III. " Bulrush," bred by Mr. Gifford, of Tunbridge, Vt., was out of . 

 "thick, heavy, dark bay and rather lazy mare." 



IV. " Woodbury," or "Burbank," was also foaled in Tunbridge, Vt., and 

 was out of a " bay marc, said to weigh about 1000 pounds, a smart, good 



Iriver." 



" Burbank" was doubtless the best colt from the loins of the old horse, 

 kept as a stallion. He was the sire of the " GitTord Morgan, now owned 

 by F. A. Weir, of Walpole, N. H.," [and grandsire of " General Gifford," 

 given in our cut. — £d.] 



The Committee of the N. Y. State Agricultural Society, " on 

 stock owned out ol' the State," at the State Fair at Auburn, in 

 184G, thus spoke of the Morgans, and of the horse (General 

 Gifford) represented in the cut, and of his sire GijETord Morgan : — 



" Gififord Morgan, a dark chestnut stallion, fourteen hands and three 

 inches high, aged twenty years, was exhibited by F. A. Weir, of Walpole, 

 N. H. It is claimed on the part of his owner, that this horse possesses the 

 celebrated " Morgan" blood in greater purity than any other now living. 

 "General Gifford," got by the above-named horse, was exhibited by Mr. 0. 

 Blodget, of Chelsea, Vt. In his size, figure, action, and color, he closely 

 resembles his sire. Both are exceedingly compact horses, deep chested, 

 strong-backed, with fore-legs set wide apart, and carrying their heads 

 (which are small, with fine, well set eyes) high and gracefully, without a 

 bearing-rein. Their action attracted the marked admiration of all. This 

 breed are reputed to possess great bottom and hardiness, and everything 

 about the two presented, goes to prove that their reputation, in this par- 

 ticular, is well founded. For light carriage or buggy horses, it would l)e 

 difficult to equal them, and if by crossing with prime large mares, of any 

 breed, size could be obtained in the progeny, without losing the tjre ajid 

 action of the Morgan, the result of the cross would be a carriage of very 

 superior quality. Your committee are not aware of the extent or result 

 of sucli crosses, in the region where the Morgans originated. Unless expe- 

 rience has already demonstrated their inutility, we could recommend to our 

 horse-breeders, some well-considered experiments, limited at first, to test 

 the feasibility of engrafting the Morgan characteristics on a larger horse." 



A distinguished judge of horses in Yermont, writes us : — 



" The original Morgan ought not to be pronounced a thorough-bred horse, 

 not having been bred from a full blood mare. Yet it is evident that the 

 rich, high blood from which he sprung, though slightly diluted, is the cause 

 of the reputation to which his stock has attained. But when we trace down 

 his stock, we find, in the very first generation, an admixture of cold, worth- 

 less blood, to the full measure of one half The result, usual in similar 

 cases, IS found here. Many of the colts related more or less nearly to tha 

 old horse, exliibit the characteristics of the " Morgan" /o?-jn, but lack com- 

 pactness — not of general form, hut of muscle, and they lack bottom. The 

 general characteristics of the Morgan family, are small size, weighing from 

 Beven hundred to one thousand pounds — a long but strong back — plump 



