School: Castlepollard Boys (roll number 5513)
- Location:
- Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: William Coghlan
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0721, Page 105
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- XML School: Castlepollard Boys
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- XML “The Potato Crop”
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- There is hardly a swelling place in the country with land attached to it but supplies some of its food by growing a good supply of potatoes. The amount of land under this crop varies very little each year.
Nearly the same amount of potatoes is grown yearly. We have no land at home except a small garden beside the house. Most of it is sown under potatoes each year.
The ground is ploughed in March and allowed to dry. Then it is harrowed a few times so as to break any lumps of clay that may be on the land. The drills are then opened with a plough. The manure is spread in the alleys or furrows.
Sometimes potatoes are set in ridges. When this is done the green sod is scored with a spade and marked into ridges. Then the manure is spread on these and the potatoes dropped.
The furrows are dug and the spit is put on the ridges to cover the potatoes. When the crop is set in drills they are covered with the plough.
Before planting, the larger tubers are cut in two and each part is called a scalp.
People make sure to leave one eye in each scalp because it is out of the eye that the stalk grows. Sometimes turf-mould is put(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Michael Fay
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Freaghmore, Co. Westmeath
- Informant
- M. Fay
- Relation
- Parent
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Freaghmore, Co. Westmeath
