The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-09-22
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
CTARKE's DIXIE PLOw.

D
BY INVITATION OF MR.. F. c. wILLIAMs,
of the county of Nottoway, number of gentle
men assembled at his residence Saturday, De
cember 10, to test by practical experiment the
comparative value of the DIXIE Pillow, manu-
featured by Starlxe & Co., and any other that
might enter the field of competition.
Tho plows were taken to the field at half
past two p NJ, the following gentlemen acting as
Judges: f. w. Eppes, J. d. Williams, Robert
Scott, Jas. S. Gillian, VIM. T. Christian, Rich
ard Eppes DIR. Daring, Sidney Graves, Walton
Sydnor, +. @. Williams, g. N. Seay, and j. M.
Hurt. Mr.. S. Graves and Walton Sydnor were
the principal plowmen. Mr.. w. Sidnor working
the Watt plow and S. Graves the Dixie-both of
whom handled them with mastery skill and
success.
Those entered were the Dixie two-horse right ard
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
ABIDE, the contest being narrowed to the Watt left
hand and Dixie right-hand. The soil first selected
a stubble loan without soil but as the plows
were new, and did not turn in consequence of the
roughness of the castings, after short trial it
was decided to take them into another field where
the soil was wel-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 1t
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
Inc award Oh tlle Judges, is uee1neu OF Suiclel1t
importance to the interest of agriculture to iusti
fy its publication.
The award of the judges was unanimously in
favor of the Dixie on the following grounds:
list. 1t cut a deeper furrow.
I'd. II cut a wider fulTow. 4t
Sd. 1t more eflectually 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 Us to determine to order
them for their own use.
JIM. HURT, Secretary.
1 certify that the above was sent to the Rich
mond "Whig'' for publication by myself; that /
am not acquainted with MIR. Starke; that he had
never seen the paper and knew nothing of its
of the plows alluded to.
January 7, 1871. j. NJ. HURT.
We the Judges in the "Plow Trial" on the
farm of Mr.. +. @. Williams, published in the
Wing hereby certify that it was directed to be
sent to that journal us q communication by the
Judges who made the award.
j. M. HURT,
+. @. WILLIAMS,
W. t. CHRISTIAN,
j. B. WILLIAMS,
January 0, 1871. JAS. S. GILLIAN
do not believe in plow trials made by the
manufacturers themselves, but hope that every
farmer will at once make q full trial of the DIXIE
does the best work. have been not able TO supply
the demand, nor fill my orders for sometime, and
must leave field-tIials where they rightly belong
TO themselves.
p III. STARKE,
ap 12--w3m No. 1440 Main Street.