The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-08-28
AGRICULTURAL IMpLEMENTs
CrARKE's Dixie PLow.

BY INVITATION oFMR F. O. wILLIAMs
OF the county Of Nottoway, a number of gentle
men assembled at his residence Saturday, De
cember 10, TO test by practical experiment the
ecomparstiye value Of the DIXIE PLOW, manu-
incurred by Starke & Co., and any other that
might enter the field of competition.
The plows were taken to the field at half
past TWO T m. the following gentlemen acting
Judges f. W. Eppes, J. b. Williams, Robert
Scott, Jas. s. Gillian, VIM T. Christian, Rich
ard Eppes, DIR. Daring, Sidney Graves, Walton
Say rra =: g Williams g y; seay, and J. M.
the principal plowmen. Mr.. w. Sidnor working
the Watt pillow, and S. Graves the Dixie-both of
whom handled them with mastery skill and
Those entered were the Dixie two-horse right and
left-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 left
hand and Dixie righthand The soil first selected
was a stubble loan without soil but as the plows
were new, and did not turn in consequences of the
rougnness OF the castings, after a short trial it
was decided to take them into another field where
the soil was a wel-trodden, tenacious clay, with
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 q new conner, as the contest
waxed warm most of the judges took hold of it
TO test personally its practical working. While
tnere 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 justi
fly its publication tH
The award of the Judges was unanimously in
favor Of the Dixie on the following grounds:
LIST. II cut deeper furrow.
ID. 1t cut n wider furrow tN
Sd. 1t more effectually inverted the sod.
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 were SO pleased to determine to order
them for their own use.
J. n. HURT, Secretary.
certify that the above was sent to the Rich
mond Wing for publication by myself; that
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 y 1871 I'M. HURT
We, the judges in the "Plow Trial." on the
farm of MIR. +. c. Williams, published in the
Wing" hereby certify that it was directed to be
judges who made the award - ..
J. M. HURT,
F. O. WILLIAMS, ~
iriHa lsl w. t. CHRISTIAN,
ffhlr I. ]. b. WILLIAMS,
January 8, 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 plow 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-trals where they rightly belong
to themselves ~ 90 tsffiasi
PHI. STARKE,
ap l2-w3m No. l440 Main Street.