School: Johnstown (roll number 877)

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1. Collected from Tom Neill. (continued)

   

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   The straw.
   Some of the straw was used for thatching and the rest was burned.
   The wheaten straw was much finer than it is now. The land was impoverished by the continual growth of wheat. I asked why not manure it and he said there was no manure on account of the scarcity of cattle.
   Wheat, potatoes, wheat, potatoes was the usual rotation of crops.
   The chaff, husks and offal of the ground corn was used as fuel.
   It was bought from the millers for 1½d of 2d per sack. One person was kept constantly stirring it under the pot. This griósac would keep pot for days and served for baking and roasting.

   Bread.
   was usually baked on a huge griddle. Black bread was made of wheat and rye mixed. It looked bad but was very palatable.

   When the corn got cheap about 60 years ago the Meath farmers took up cattle rearing.
   There were 12 fairs yearly in Navan. Where fat cattle were sold. Good fairs for calves and young cattle were held in Bective, Slane, Skryne.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Tom Neill

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   83

   Address

   Oldtown, Co. Meath