The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-09-13
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
cTARKE's DIXIE PLow.

/ y
BY INVITATION OF MIR. r. O. 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 Pillow, manu-
featured by Starke & CO., and any other that
might enter the field Of competition. ...,l. =.
The plows were taken to the field at half
past two p. M, the following gentlemen acting as
judges: +. w. Eppes, ]. d. Williams, Robert
Scott, JAS. s. Gillian, Vim. T. Christian, Rich
| ard Eppes, Dr. Daring Sidney, Graves, Walton
Sydnor, L. @. Williams, q. N. Seay, and ]. nj.
Hurt. Mr.. s. 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 f fslgg1h a
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 rght-hand. The soil first selected
was a stubble loam without soil I; but as the pows
were new, and did not turn in consequence of the
roughness of the castings, after short trial 1t
was decided to take them into another field where
the soil was 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
to test personally its practical working. While
| there is no intention TO do injustice to any, as
neither party had agent or. representative pre-
cent, 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 was unanimously in
favor of the Dixie on the following grounds
| lst 1t cut a deeper furrow.r 1-o. r--e....
3D. 1t cut q wider furrow , ..
3d. 1t more ehectually 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 TO determine to order
them for their own use. a III "a.
HURT, Secretary
certify that the above was sent to the Rich
mond WING" for publication by myself; that /
never seen the paper and, knew nothing of its
contents, and was in no wise party to the trial
of the plows alluded to. e 5isg aos .l
january Z 1871 79F J. M HURT.
We, the judges in the "Plow Trial." on the
ftlrm Of Mr.. \. O. Williams, published in the
Wing hereby certify that it was directed to be
judges who made the award. t5e .i Nit "a
fs1 J. M. HURT ~ faAl
+. O. WILLIAMS, "
w. T. CHRISTIAN
J. b. WILLIAMS
January 0, 1871. JAS. S. GILLIAN.
do not believe in plow trials made by the
manufacturers themselves, but hope that every
farmer will at once make 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 field-trials where they rightly belong
Ito themselves. ass 80 s'-H- So -
a# ssh p. III. sTARKE, ai
ap l2-w3m No. 1440 Main Street.