The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-08-29
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
CTARKE's DIXIE PLOw.

y
BY INVITATION OFMR. Z. @. WILLIAMS,
of the county of Nottoway, number Of gentle
men assembled at his residence Saturday, De-
cember 10, to test by practical experiment perrin the
featured by Starke & Co., and any other that
might enter the field of competition.
The plows were taken to the field at half
past two p. M, the following gentlemen acting as
Judges: i. w. Eppes, J. b. Williams, Robert
Scott, Jas. s. Gillian, VIM. L. Christian, Rich
ard Eppes, DIR. Daring, Sidney Graves, Walton
Hurt. Mr.. 5. Graves and Walton Sydnor were
the principal plowmen. Mr.. w. Sdnor working
the Watt pillow, and s. Graves the Dixie-both of
whom handled them with mastery skill and
success. 800
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 righthand broke in two and was laid
aside the contest being narrowed to the Watt left
hand and Dixie right-hand. 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 a short trial 1t
was decided to take them into another field where
the soil was weli-trodden, tenacious clay, with
a timothy sod covered with vegetation and with
straw. The plows here performed their work adj
miraby 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
! the award of the judges, is deemed of sufficient
importance to the interest of agriculture to justi-
| fly its publication.
The award of the judges unanimously in
! favor of the Dixie on the following grounds:
| LIST. 1t cut deeper furrow
| I'd. 1t cut 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 were so pleased as to determine to order
them for their own use.
M HURT, Secretary.
| certify that the above was sent to the Rich
| mond "Whg'' for publication by myself; that
am not acquainted with Mr.. Starle; that he had
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 1871. j. M. HURT.
We, the Judges in the 'sPlow Trial." on the
farm of Mr.. +. G. Williams, published in the
"Whig, hereby certify that it was directed to be
judges who made the award.
J. M HURT
+. G. WILLIAMS,
w. Il. CHRISTIAN,
j. b. WILLIAMS,
January 8, 1871. JAS. S. GILLIAN.
do not believe in pillow trials made by the
manufacturers themselves, but hope that every
farmer will at once make full trial of the DIXIF
! 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, ant
must leave field-trials where they rightly belong
to themselves.
p H. STARKE,
| ap 12-w3m No. l440 Main Street.