School: Piercetown (B.) (roll number 4990)
- Location:
- Piercetown, Co. Wexford
- Teacher: Maitiú Ó Cléirigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0879, Page 296
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- The Harvesting of the PotatoesThe stalks of the potatoes wither and die when the crop is ripe. Then it is time for the farmer to bring them in. The potatoes can be got out of the soil with a plough or a potato digger.
If it is done with a plough, the farmer takes some soil off each side of the drills. This is done to get a good quantity of soil off the crop, and because it takes some of the weeds out of the drills. The plough is put along under the drills, and it gets them up out of the ground. They are put in baskets and out of the baskets into carts. They are drawn in carts and put into a barn or a pit. The baskets are made locally with sally sticks.
If the potatoes are got out of the soil with a potato digger, two horses draw the machine up and down the drills. Many prongs are on this machine and they scatter up the potatoes on top of the soil, Then they are easily picked.
(From father 58 years of age)
Patrick Maguire, Killiane, Drinagh, Wexford
- Informant
- Patrick Maguire
- Relation
- Parent
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 58
- Address
- Killillane, Co. Wexford
