The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-09-09
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
cTARKE,s DIXIE pLow.

BY INVITATION OF MIR +. @. WILLIAMs,
of the county of Nottoway, a number of gentle
men assembled at his residence Saturday, De
cember TO- to test by practical experiment the
comparative value of the DIXIE PLOW, manu-
featured by Starlze & Co., and any other that
might enter the field of competition. [ II. =.
The piows We're taken to the field at half
past two p, M, the following gentlemen acting as
judges F. w. Eppes, ]. b. Williams, Robert
Scott, Jas. s. Gillian, VIM. T. Christian, Rich
ard Eppes, DIR. Daring, Sidney Graves, Walton
Hurt. Mr.. S. Graves and Walton Sydnor were
the principal plowmen. MIR. w. Sidnor working
the Watt pillow, and S. Graves the Dixie--both of
whom handled them with mastery skill and
success. ltt
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 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 ad-
mirably, cutting and turning without choking.
As the Dixie conner, rs the contest
waxed warm most of the iudres 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 representative pre-
sent, and both plows did we'll yet the trial, with
the award of the judges, is deemed of sufficient
Importance to the interest of agriculture to jusi-
fly its publication.
The award of the Judges was unanimously in
favor of the Dixie on the following grounds:
LIST. 1t cut q deeper furrow.
Cd. 1t cut a wider furrow.
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 so pleased as to determine to order
them for their own use.
JIM HURT, Secretary.
certify that the above was sent to the Rich
mond "Whig'' for publication by myself that
am not acquainted with Mr.. Starke; that he had
never seen the paper and knew nothing of its
contents, and was in no wise a party to the trial
OF the plows alluded to-
January 7, 1871 JIM. HURT.
We, the judges in the ''Plow Trial" on the
farm of Mr.. L. G. Williams, published in the
'Whig" hereby certify that it was directed to be
sent to that journal as Il communication by the
judges who made the award.
]. M. HURT,
+. @. WILLIAMS, i5
W. 7. CHRISTIAN,
]. b. WILLIAMS,
January 0, 1871. JAS. S. GILLIAN
do not believe in pow trials made by the
manufacturers themselves but hope that every
farmer will at once make a 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 tield-trials where they rightly belong
Ito themselves.
p. II. STARKE,