The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-09-15
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
CTARKE's DIXIE pLow.

BY INVITATION OF MIR. I. @. WILLIAMS,
Of the county of Nottoway, a number of gentle
men assembled at his residence Saturday, De-
cember 10, to test by practical experiment the
comparative value of the DIXIE PLOW, manu-
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: +. w. Eppes, ]. b. williams, Robert
Scott, Jas. 5. Gillian, VIM. t. Christian, Rich
ard Eppes, DR.. Daring, Sidney Graves, Walton
Sydnor, +. q. Williams, g. NJ Seay, and ]. M.
Hurt. Mr.. $. Graves and Walton Sydnor We're
the principal plowmen. Mr.. w. Sidnor working
the Watt pillow, and s. Graves the Dixie-both of
whom handled them with mastery skill and
success 81 G f..t.5tf
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
a.ide, the contest being narrowed to the Watt left
hand and Dixie right-hand. The soil first selected
was 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 it
was decided to take them into another field where
the soil was a well-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 it
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
Importance to the interest OF agriculture to justi-
fly its publication. ff 9 "a
The award of the judges was unanimously in
favor of the Dixie on the following grounds
1st 1t cut deeper furrow.
I'd. 1t cut q wider furrow ..s..a i1,--r
Sd. 1t more efieetually 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, g.s. MI, ~. .....
a548 ~ go i'm. HURT, Secretary
certify that the above was sent to the Rich
mond "Whig' for publication by myself; that L
never seen the paper and knew nothing of its
contents and was in no wise party TO the trial
of the plows alluded to- ~ n0a34 ~
january, 1871 ]. III. HURT.
We the Judges in the "Plow Trial." on the
farm of MIR. Z. O. Williams, published in the
Wing" hereby certify that it was directed to be
sent to that journal az Il communication by the
judges who made the award.
]. M. HURT,
+. q. WILLIAMS,
w. II. CHRISTIAN,
j. B. WILLIAMS,
January 8, 1871. JAS. S. GILLIAN.
l do not believe in plow trials made by the
manufacturers themselves, but hope that every
farmer will ut once make Il full trial of the DIXIE
with every plow 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 field-trials where they rightly belong
Ito themselves. stsf.5 ,ssg7
~F p. II. STARKE,
ap l2-w3m No. l440 Main Street.