54 KEPORTS. 



or desire to put forth, is, that there exists a type of horses of 

 great merit for many purposes, over a large district, subdivisi- 

 ble into some three or four classes, modified by more or less 

 blood — of thorough blood, — yet all showing the characteristics 

 of the other English families named, and doubtless have de- 

 rived their own peculiar merits from those several fami- 

 lies. . . . The mares of the various glasses of this type, 

 from the heaviest to the lightest, are the best brood marcs I 

 have seen in America from which to raise stout, hardy, sound, 

 active and speedy stock for all practical purposes, to well 

 selected, large sized, bony, Ihorough-brcd Stallions. . ; . 

 This is ncaily what I believe to be the history of the Morgan 

 horse, as styled, — that is to say, I believe it to be an entirely 

 artificial animal, probably, in a great degree in this instance, 

 by possessing a small portion of one pa:ticular strain of blood. 

 The perpetuation of that strain by in-breeding, or by breeding 

 from sires of that race, either with cold-blooded, or hot-blood- 

 ed mares, I know to be impossible, for the original strain must 

 go on, from generation to gcneratiun, in a. scale dimimrendo. 

 Eut that the same stamp of horse can be again reproduced, re- 

 produced ad infinitum, by having recourse to the same system 

 of artificial crossing which produced it, and that many, if not 

 all its best qualities may be retained, or even improved, by 

 judicious breeding, I in no wise doubt or dispute." 



In order to show that the English thorough-bred has had 

 much to do in improving the horses of this Coiuitry, it is only 

 necessary tj state that a list of 282 'thorough-bred Stallions, 

 imported hither from England, is on record, and mostly within 

 the last hundred years. In those imjiortations, the best blood 

 of England has como to our country to inipiovc the qu;ility and 

 style of our horses : hence, they arc, what tlioj are to-day, be- 



