1891.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 183 



mare in the State. There are a number of families of sturdy- 

 Morgans tracing to the old horse, but perhaps the most 

 famous is tin? Lambert family, tracing back through Ethan 

 Allen, Vermont Black Hawk and Sherman Morgan, to Jus- 

 tin Morgan. This family seem to have developed a larger 

 size and more speed, as a rule, and are sought for as driving 

 and carriage horses, being of good size, good disposition 

 and stylish. Most of the Morgans, aside from this family, 

 are undersized for the horse of to-day. They have every 

 other good quality desired in a general-purpose horse except 

 size ; but the descendants of Justin Morgan, crossed with 

 the descendants of Messenger, make the best kind of a horse 

 for our eastern farms, and sell readily as drivers and car- 

 riage horses ; and the more Morgan blood the better, pro- 

 vided the desired size is maintained. Formerly there was a 

 strong rivalry between the Hambletonian and Morgan 

 families ; but recently this feeling is dying away, because it 

 has been found, in tracing the lines of most of our fastest 

 trotting horses, that there was a strong dash of Morgan and 

 Messenger blood in them: such as Nelson, 2.10|; Guy, 

 2.10f; Jack, 2.12| ; Belle Hamlin and Justina, 2.13 to 

 pole; Pamlico, 2.16^. George Wilkes, the noted sire of 

 trotting horses, has a strong infusion of Morgan blood on 

 the side of his dam. Axtel, 2.12 ; Johnston, pacer, 2.061 ; 

 H. B. Winship, with running mate, 2.06 ; Westinont, with 

 running mate, 2.0 1|. 



While I would not advise farmers to breed entirely for 

 speed, I do believe it wise to cling to the large type of 

 horse of the Morgan or Hambletonian families, because in 

 these families are found the best horses not only for trotting, 

 but for carriage horses and gentleman's drivers ; and, if the 

 size is strictly adhered to, they will also do all the work on 

 the farm. In raising a colt of this kind, you have several 

 strings to pull for a sale. If, by chance he prove a trotter, 

 he will bring a good price ; if he is not fast enough for that, 

 and is a stylish walker, he will sell for a gentleman's driver ; 

 if he cannot go quite fast enough for that, he will sell for a 

 carriage horse ; and, if all these fail, he is of value for a work 

 horse. 



If you propose to raise horses of this pattern, the selection 



