School: Ceathrú na Laithighe (Brownsgrove) (roll number 12138)

Location:
Brownsgrove, Co. Galway
Teacher:
Pádhraic Ó hAnnracháin
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0040, Page 0491

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0040, Page 0491

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  1. XML School: Ceathrú na Laithighe (Brownsgrove)
  2. XML Page 0491
  3. XML “Potatoes”

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  1. We sow potatoes on our farm every year. It is my father who prepares the land and we assist him when he sows them. In this district
    potatoes are sown both in ridges and drills; in ridges in the garden round the houses and in drills out in the fields. Sometimes also Rayland potatoes are sown in ridges out in the fields.
    When potatoes are sown in drills the farmer first ploughs a piece of land; then he spring-harrows it and reploughs it again. After this he harrows it again with a spring harrow and finally rolls it. Now it is fit for drilling. The first ploughing can be done as early as October but the drills are not opened until the middle of the month of April. Farmyard manure is now brought out in a cart and left in lumps here and there along the drills. Next the manure is scattered evenly along the drills with "dung forks" or "pitch forks" which are forks with four prongs.
    Drills are usually opened with a double plough and sometimes with a single plough when a double plough cannot be found. The drills are opened with two horses. A furrow is first ploughed and then after that the man opens the drills doing half a drill each side of the double plough; in the single plough he can only do half a drill at a time and by working with a double plough two half-drills are opened at a time.
    After the farmyard manure is thoroughly scattered artificial manure is put over the farmyard manure. There is
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. activities
      1. economic activities
        1. agriculture (~2,659)
          1. potatoes (~2,701)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Mary Mc Gagh
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Beagh (Browne), Co. Galway
    Informant
    Patrick Mc Gagh
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    50
    Address
    Beagh (Browne), Co. Galway