The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-06-20
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
CTARKE's DIXIE PLOw.

BY INVITATION oFBIR +. @. WILLIAMS,
of the county of Nottoway, NUMBER OF gehtie-
men assembled at his residence saturday, De-
cember 10, to test by practical experiment the
comparative value of the DIXIE PLOW, manu-
featured by Starke & Co., and any other that
might enter the field of competition
The plows were taken TO ihe neld AZ naiI
past two p M, the following gentlemen acting as
Judges +. w. Eppes, J. b. Williams, Robert
scott Jas. 5. Gillian, VIM t. Christian; Ken
ard Eppes DIR, Daring, Sidney Graves, walton
Sydnor, +. G. williams, G N. Seay, and j. M.
Hurt. MIR. 5. Graves and Walton Sydnor Were
the principal plowmen. Mr.. w: Sidnor working
the Watt plow and s. Graves the Dixe-both of
whom handled them with mastery skill and
success.
Those entered were the Dixie two-horse right and
Ieft-hand plows, and the Watt two-horse left
hand Soon after the trial commenced, the beam
of the Dixie right-hand broke in two and was laid
aside the contest being narrowed TO the watt lett
hand and Dixie right-hand, The sou nist selected
was a stubble loan without soil; but as the plows
were new and did not turn in consequence OF the
roughness of the castings, after q snort tflal 1t
was decided to take them into another feld Where
the soil was a well-trodden tenacious clay, with
a timothy sod covered with vegetation and with
straw The plows here performed their work adj
mirably, cutting and turning without choking:
As the Dixie was new conner, as the contest
waxed warm most of the judges took hold of IL
to test personally its practical working. While
there is no intention to do injustice to any, as
neither party had agent or representative pre-
sent, and both plows did well, yet the trial, with
the award of the Judges, is deemed of sufficient
importance to the interest OF agriculture TO Jusu
fy its publication.
The award of the Judges was unanimously in
favor of the Dixie on the following grounds:
1st 1t cut deeper furrow
Cd 1t cut wider furrow.
Sd. 1t more eflectually inverted the sod. q
4th The draft seemed to be no greater.
9th. The mechanical arrangement for altering
cut was deemed more simple and efficient.
At the conclusion of the trial some of the
Judges We're pleased as to determine to order
them for their own use.
J. M. HURT, Secretary
certify that the above was sent to the Rich
mond ''Whig'' for publication by myself; that !
am not acquainted with Mr.. StarAe; that he had
never seen the paper and knew nothing of its
contents and was in no wise party to the trial
of the plows alluded to.
January 7, 1871. j. M HURT
We, the judges III the "Plow Trial. on the
farm of Mr. +. @. Williams, published in the
"Whig," hereby certify that it was directed to be
sent to that journal as q communication by the
Judges who made the award
T. NJ HURT,
F.C. VILLAINS,
w. L. CHRISTIAN,
j. b. WILLIAMS,
January Q, 1871. JAS. S. GILLIAN.
do not believe in pillow trials made by the
farmer will at once make full trial of the DIXIE
with every pillow he can find, and buy that which
does the best work. have been not able to supply
the demand, nor fill my orders for sometime, and
must leave field-trials where they rightly belong
to themselves.
p II. STAR1lE
ap 12-w3m No 1440 Main Street.