414 A HISTORY OF THE PEECHERON HORSE 



blood, at first unappreciated, was later highly valued 

 by breeders who were seeking to increas'' the size 

 of their Pereherons without sacrificing quality. His 

 subsequent development into a sire of high rank 

 vindicated the judgment of John Huston, who in- 

 sisted, as one judge on the committee at the Inter- 

 national in 1905, that Olbert showed every evidence 

 of developing into a great stock horse. Had this 

 stallion been given an opportunity to head a great 

 band of brood mares, no one can estimate how far- 

 reaching his influence might have been. As it is, Ol- 

 bert has a conspicuous place among Percheron sires. 

 Actual breeding operations at Lakewood Farm 

 were subordinated to the work of purchasing and 

 distributing Pereherons. Mr. McMillan was one of 

 the first to realize the opportunity open to men who 

 were good judges of Pereherons and who had the 

 means and inclination to assemble the Percheron 

 stock which had been so widely scattered through- 

 out the years of depression. For years he made 

 heavy purchases of both mares and stallions, par- 

 ticularly in Illinois and Iowa. After carrying these 

 animals long enough to put them in shape for sale 

 they were sold at public auction and were widely 

 distributed throughout the northwest. A large num- 

 ber of the animals which were recorded as bred at 

 Lakewood Farm were from mares purchased for 

 sale purposes, bred to the Lakewood Farm sires 

 and sold in foal, so that the number actually bred 

 and raised at Lakewood Farm is but a part of the 

 grand total. 



