THE SIRE. 91 



public, in that he advertises as certain what he knows, 

 or should know, is extremely uncertain ; for this repro- 

 ducing capacity is withheld by some strange freak or 

 unascertained reason of nature from most horses, and 

 bestowed only upon the few. Out of a hundred stallions 

 in a State, only two or three ever become justly famous. 

 The strangest and most unaccountable thing of the 

 whole matter is, that many horses for which the best 

 judges would surely predict success, prove, upon trial, 

 lamentable failures; while others less esteemed become 

 heads of families, and live with increasing honor with 

 the birth of every generation of their descendants. It 

 is not from the winners of the St. Leger and the Derby 

 that England has received her fastest stock. These 

 winners, in cases numberless, were out of the loins of 

 horses by no means noted, but which gave to their sons 

 and daughters that which made both parent and chil- 

 dren immortal. Instances too numerous to mention 

 might be quoted ; but the principle is too fully admitted 

 to require argument and illustration. The fact stands 

 admitted, that, until a stallion has been actually tested 

 in the stud, it is useless to predict whether he will be 

 valuable as a stock-horse or not, and folly for the gen- 

 eral public to breed to him. 



Among the horses which excel in this peculiarity, at 

 the very head of the list may perhaps be placed old 

 Justin Morgan. The reproducing capacity of this 

 horse, considering the treatment he received, was 

 simply marvellous. Unappreciated and abused half of 



