School: Coillín Aodha (C.)
- Location:
- Culleens, Co. Sligo
- Teacher: Cristíona Ní Cheallaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0164, Page 165
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- XML School: Coillín Aodha (C.)
- XML Page 165
- XML “The Potato Crop”
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- There are potatoes grown on our farm. About four acres of land is sown under potatoes each year. The amount varies. my father and brother prepare the ground. The ground is manured with farmyard manure before being turned up. The potatoes are sown in drills. The ploughed land is harrowed and then the drills are made. A drill plough is used in making them. Wooden ploughs were used eighty years ago. There are none left now. The spades are bought in a shop. The seed potatoes are selected and if there is any of them too big, they are cut into splits.
The local people help one another in sowing the potatoes. The neighbours come to one man and help him to sow his potatoes. When his potatoes are sowed he and his neighbours go to another man, and help him to sow his potatoes. So on till every man's potatoes are sown.
When the stalks are grown up they are sprayed. In October most of the potatoes are dug. Most of the people use diggers when digging them. One man walks after the digger driving the horses and digger. The rest of the people pick the potatoes. The diggers dig one drill at a time. The neighbours help one another, same as in sowing the potatoes. They pick them in buckets. The potatoes are stored in pits.
The local names given to the various kinds of potatoes are:-(continues on next page)
