The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-08-25
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
STARKE's Dixie pLow.


BY INVITATION OF MIR. +. G. 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-
factnred by Starxe & Co, and any other that
might enter the field of competition.
The plows We're taken to the field Mt half
past two I. M. the following gentlemen acting as
Judges: I. w. Eppes, ]. ID. Williams, Robert
Scott, Jas. s. Gillian, VIM T. Christian, Rich
ard Eppes, DIR. Daring, Sidney Graves, Walton
Sydnor, +. q. 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 s. Graves the Dxe-both of
whom handled them with mastery skill and
Those entered were the Dixie two-horse right and
left-hand pows, and the Watt two-horse left
hand Soon after the trial commenced, the beam
oil the Dixie rght-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
We're new, and did not turn in consequence of the
roughness of the castings, after q short trial it
was decided to take them ntoanother field where
the soil was g 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 u 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 pows did well, vet 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:
1st 1t cut deeper furrow
I'd 1t cut wider furrow. '-
Sd. 1t more eliectually inverted the sod
4th. The draft seemed to be no greater. t E
9th. The mechanical arrangement for altering
cut was deemed more simple and efficient.
At the conclusion of the trial some of the
Judges We're so pleased as to determine to order
them for their own use.
J. NJ 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.
January 7, 1871. JIM HURT.
We the judges in the "Plow Trial. on the
farm of Mr.. +. G.. Williams, published in the
"Whig,'' hereby certify that it was directed to be
sent TO that journal as q communication by the
Judges who made the award.
. J, NJ HURT,
+. @. WILLIAMS, ''s
ni4st w. T. CHRISTIAN, ef
m fe.f- j. Ii. WILLIAMS "A
January Q, 1871. JAS. S. GILLIAN.
| j 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
to themselves.
sif a 7. H. STARKE,
APP l2-w3m No. 1440 Main Street.