The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-05-01
STARKE'S DIXIE PLOW.

| DY INVITATION OF MR.. f. @. WILLIAMS. OF
| I'D the county of Nottoway, number of gen
| temen assembled at his residence Saturday Decem
Der TO- to test by practical experiment the compar
| ative value of the DIXIE PL0W Manufactured b,
starke Co, and any other that might enter the
Held Of competition.
The pIows we're taken to the field at half past two
p. NJ. the following gentlemen acting as judges
| w. Epes, J. D. Williams, Robert Scott, Jas. g. Gil
liam, VIM. 7. Christian, Richard Epes DIR. Daring
| Sidney Graves, Walton Sydnor, f. q Williams, @
N. Seay, and J. NJ Hurt. Mr.. 8. Graves and Walton
sydnor were the principal plowmen Mr.. w. sydnor
woi king the Watt pillow and Graves the Dixie
both Of whom handled them with mastery skill and
success.
he plows entered the Dixie two horse right
and left-hand plows, and the att two-horse left
hand Soon after the trial commenced, the beam Of
the Dixie ght hand broke in two aud was laid
aside the contest being narrowed to the Watt left
hand and Dixie left hand. The soil first selected
was stubbe loan without soil but as the plows
we're new, and did not turn IN consequence of the
roughness of the castings after short trial IL was
decided to take them into another field where the
soil was weltrodden tenacious clay, With tirno-
thy sod covered with vegetation and with straw.
The plows here performed their work admirably,
cutting and urning clear without choking.
AS the Dixie was a new comer as the contest
waxed warm most of the judges took hold of it to
test personally its practical working. While there
is no intention to do injustice to any, as neither
party had agent or representative present and 10th
plows aid WE'LL yet the trial with the award of the
judges is deemed OF sufficient Importance to the in
terest of agriculture to justify its publication.
The award of the judges was unanimously in favor
of the Dixie on the following grounds:
LIST. 1t cut deeper furrow. f.
I'd. 1t cut a wider furrow. -.-.-
Sd. 1t more effectually inverted the sod
4th. The draft seemed to be greater.
9th. The mechanic al arrangement for altering cut
was deemed more simple and efficient
At the conclusion Of the trial some of the udees
were 80 pleased Us TO determine to order them for
their own USE j. NJ HURT, Secretary.
1 certify that the above was sent to the Ricbmond
"Whig" for publication by myself; that am not
acquainted with Mr. Starke; that he had never .een
the paper and knew nothing of its contents and was
in no wise party to the trial of the plows alluded
TO j. III. HURT.
January 7, 1871.
We, the in ges in the "Plow Trial !" on the farm of
Mr. +. O. Williams, published in the Wing hereby
certify that it directed to be sent to that journal
as a communication by tho judges who made the
award.
JMHURT
&c WILLIAMS,
t W T CHRISTIAN
WILLIAMS,
JAS s GILLIAN
January 9, 1871.
do not believe in pillow trials made by the>tnanu.
factu'ers themselves, but hope that every farmer
VIII at once make a full ral of the DIXIE with
every pillow he can find and buy that which does the
best work. l have not been able to supply the de-
maud, nor fill my orders for sometime and must
leave fedtrials where they rightly beong-to farm.
ers themselves. rr
,r P H sTARKE,
ap l3--w3m No l440 Main street.