School: Carrigeengeare (roll number 8672)

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1. The Potato Crop - Care of the Growing Crop (continued)

   

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   and the weeds multiply. As the old proverb puts it - "One year's seeding is seven year's weeding".
   After the first weeding, the farmer moulds the potatoes by putting some fine mould from the "furs" up on the ridge, between the plants when the latter are just appearing above the soil. The moulding is necessary because the potato tubers grow upwards along the stem of the plant and if plenty of mould were not heaped up on the ridge that tubers would appear over the ground and would get sun. Some artificial manure is applied to the plants when they are being moulded. If the potatoes were not moulded be that the quality and quantity of the crop would suffer.
   Sometimes, if the farmer considers it necessary he moulds his potatoes a second time.
   When the farmer thinks it is time he sprays his potatoes. Since the years 1846-47 when the blight destroyed the crops, and the Great Famine occurred, all farmers take the precaution of spraying their potatoes before the blight sets in. The spraying mixture is made up of "bluestone" and washing soda, in the proportion of 5lbs. of bluestone to 4 lbs. of washing soda. To this 30 gallons of water are added. Nowadays, the mixture is applied to the growing plants by means of a "knap-sack" spraying

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)
            1. potatoes (~2,701)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   John O' Hara

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Carrigeengeare, Co. Leitrim

   Informant

   Mr William O' Hara

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   55

   Address

   Munakill, Co. Leitrim