The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-06-19
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS,
OTARKE,s DIXIE PLOw.

BY INVITATION OF MIR L. g. 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 Starke g. Co., and any other that
might enter the field Of competition.
The blows were taken TO the Held at half
past two p M. the following gentlemen acting as
Judges: +. w. Eppes, j. IL. Williams, Robert
Scott, Jas. s. Gillian, VIM t. Christian; Rich
ard Eppes, DIR. Daring, Sidney Graves, Walton
Sydnor, +. @. Williams, G. N. Seay, and j. M.
Hurt Mr. s. Graves and Walton Sydnor were
the principal plowmen. Mr.. w. Sidnor working
the Watt plow and 5. Graves the Dxe-noth OF
success.
Those entered were the Dixie two-horse right and
left-hand plows and the Watt twohorse 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 snort trlal 1t
was decided to take them into another field where
the soil was n well-trodden tenacious clay, with
q timothy sod covered with vegetation and with
straw The plows here performed their work adj
mirably, cutting and turning without chokng:
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 10 do injustice to any, us
neither party had agent 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 Oh agriculture 10 Justl-
fly its publication.
The award of the Judges was unanimously in
favor of the Dixie ON the following grounds:
LIST. 1t cut deeper furrow
I'd. 1t cut wider flrrow.
Sd. 1t more effectually inverted the sod.
18th The draft seemed to be no greater.
5th 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.
J. M. 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 party to the trial
of the plows alluded to.
January 7, ISL. j. M. HURT.
We, the Judges in the "Plow Trial. on the
farm of Mr. f G. Williams, published in the
"Whig," hereby certify that it was directed to be
sent to that journal as communication by the
judges who made the award
j. NJ HURT,
+. G.. WILLIAMS,
w. T. CHRISTIAN,
]. b. WILLIAMS,
January O. 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 pow 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-tritls where they rightly belong
Ito themselves.
p H. STARKE,
APP 12-w3n No 1440 Main Street.