The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-07-04
Trial of PIows.


To the EdHor Of Me I'emom Farmer:
One Of the wants Of the Vermont far
mers for several years, has been a pillow
so constructed as to turn both side hill
and level land with the same implement
Most farmers have become disguised with
deep burrows and ridges, and have been
seeking for a remedy. Col Mead, of
Randolph, agent for the Holbrook Swivel
plow, expressed wish to exhibit that
pillow to the farmers of Passumpsic and
vicinity. Hon. Il. A. Parks, President
of the Passumpsic Farmers Club, invited
the agent of sidehill and swivel plows to
ploughing match on his farm near Pas
sumpsic Village, May 31st, under the au-
spices of said Club.
Col. Mead exhibited two sizes of the
Holbrook pillow, No. I A and No. 2 A,
the former for breaking and the latter
for stubbe land. The first named by a
change of moldboard at small cost could
be used as a stubble pillow.
Russell Hallett, Esq, St. Johnsbury,
exhibited the rotary double pillow from
Belcher & Taylor, Chicopee Falls, and
A. r. Lucas, Of St. Johnsbury, COM
mon sidehill pillow from Whittemore, Be
cher, g. Co., Boston, Mass.
AT the suggestion of member of the
Club, the President appointed j. P. Fos-
ter, VIM. Adams, II. G. Moody and Milo
Lawrence, members of the Club present
q committee to conduct the trial and re-
port to the secretary.
Col. Mead claimed that his pillow would
do equally good work on sidehil and level
land that the moldboard and share were
so arranged as to work wedgelike, there
by lifting the furrow slice, and the mold
board being convex it pulverized the soil,
leaving it in better condition for the har-
row that the draft was less than plows
with concave moldboard that the
coulter was regulated by springs so as to
cut the exact with the pillow was gagged
to turn.
Mr. Hallett claimed that his pillow would
turn fiat burrows on sidehill or level land,
would turn good furrow on a slight up
grade had similar spring and fixtures
for the regulating the width Of the fur
row, and was n great Improvement on the
sidehill pillow now in use.
Mr.. Lucas claimed that his was a good
old fashioned sidehill pillow.
After many trials Of each pillow, except
the Lucas pillow which proved to be out of
repair and was withdrawn after the first
furrow, by the different members of the
committee who tested them with the wide
and narrow, deep and shallow burrows,
and in every form necessary to test their
capacities and capabilities, the committee
reported that the Hallett pillow did good
work and accomplished all he claimed
for, it. They also found after the most
rigid test that Holbrook plows were not
over-rated by the agent The furrow in.
stead Of being packed hard as is usual
with the plows now in use, was left lower
and partially pulverized, reducing the la.
Dor Of narrowing one-half, and they un.
animously recommended the Holbrook
pillow to the favorable attention of intelli.
gent and progressive farmers.
1t is worthy Of note that the lIol.
brook plows and the one exhibited by Mr.
! Hallett were the invention of intelligent
farmers, who knew their worth and had
the mechanical skill to bring them tc
their present degree of perfection, fol
) which they deserve the thanks and pat.
ronage Of the farming community.
JONATHAN LAWRENCE,
Secretary PassumpSic Farmers CluJ