School: Baile an Mhuilinn, An Droichead Nua (roll number 16654)

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1. Folklore - The Potato Crop

   

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   In my district potatoes are grown plentifully. About 10 acres of potatoes are grown every year, in the townland of Grange. This amount varies from year to year sometimes more and sometimes less.
   Men, horses, and machinery prepare the ground.
   The ground is winter ploughed and in spring is cultivated to prepare for the potato crop.
   The potatoes are sown in drills from twenty to twenty four inches apart.
   Farmers use a plough, but the cottagemen mostly use a spade like this. (drawing of spade)
   No spades are made in my district.
   In years gone by wooden ploughs were used, but now a double-boarded plough is used.
   The potatoes are sorted and tubers about the size of a hen's egg are usually used for seed, but some people cut the seed. They are then left for a few days, and stable manure is drawn out to the field.
   One row of manure goes to every seven drills. Those heaps are from five to seven yards apart, and one horseload makes three heaps. The seed is then brought out and planted from ten to twelve inches apart in the drills and covered with manure - afterwards they are covered with clay. Sometimes the neighbours give a hand. The potatoes are grubbed, howed, and freed from

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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

   Annie Curran

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Punchersgrange, Co. Kildare

   Informant

   Rose Curran

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   47

   Address

   Punchersgrange, Co. Kildare