506 THE MORGANS. 



Massachusetts did not call for the qualities of a four-miler, and as his 

 ordinary and principal use and employment was that of a work or 

 road horse, he soon lost his racing qualities and became a roadster. 

 And such was the Morgan horse after the first generation — he was a 

 roadster. But making him a roadster in such short time did not make 

 him a fast trotter. His form was not suited to the purpose, he must 

 undergo many changes before that could be said of him. He could 

 not be crossed at once upon the great trotting families — the Abdallahs, 

 the Bellfounders, and the Duroc-Messengers of the land. He was 

 too far from them. 



Before tracing the processes by which great road and trotting quali- 

 ties have been engrafted upon the Morgan stock, it is proper that I 

 should recur to the immediate progeny of Justin Morgan and consider 

 the several different channels through which his blood has been dissem- 

 inated, and thus trace the gradual approaches which have been made 

 in transforming the original short punchy Morgan into the elastic and 

 fleet trotter of the present day; and from a careful study of the 

 gradual but progressive advancement, retaining his excellences, his 

 beauty, his docility, his general healthfulness, and enlarging his 

 capacity and range of usefulness, we may learn the lesson how we may 

 still further advance the American roadster and trotter in the employ- 

 ment of the blood of the little and docile but trappy progenitor of 

 the Morgan family. 



fllS SONS. 



Justin Morgan left several sons, only four of which occupy any 

 prominence among his descendants, viz.: Bulrush, Sherman, Wood- 

 bury and Revenge, and the latter is not often referred to in the 

 important lines descended from Morgan. 



The important features that characterized the Justin Morgan, his compact- 

 ness of form, his higli and generous spirit, combined with the most perfect 

 gentleness and tractability; his bony, sinewy limbs, his lofty style, and easy 

 but vigorous action, were strongly aiid strikingly impressed upon his oftspriug. 

 Not only did his valuable qualities descend unimpaired to the next generation, 

 but apparently with little diminution to the second and third; and thus it is 

 that where pains have been taken to select both sires and dams, possessing 

 most of his blood and characteristics, young colts may now be found that 

 closely resemble him in all important respects, except size, in which there has 

 been a decided increase. 



Such was the statement made a little more than twenty years 



ago. 



