School: Berrings (Measctha) (roll number 4186)
- Location:
- Berrings, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Domhnall Ó Drisceoil
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0348, Page 087
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- XML “The Potato Crop”
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- The farmer sets the potatoes in the spring. The field in which the potatoes are to be sat is ploughed with an iron plough during the winter. Timber ploughs were used in this district about sixty years ago. The field is harrowed to make the earth fine afterwhich drills are opened by means of a "two board" plough. About sixty years ago the potatoes were set in ridges and spades were used to till the ground. But the people set more potatoes now than they did about sixty ago, and as the spade is too slow the horse and plough are used to make and close the drills.
About sixty years ago the people of this district sat the potatoes in ridges. The ground was first ploughed and manure was then spread on it. The potatoes were then set by means of a spade, four "skillawns" in the breath of a ridge and about a foot between each "skillawn". The skillawns were covered with earth by means of a pounder and this was called the first earthing. The potatoes were again covered about three weeks afterwards and this was called the second earthing.
Nowadays the farmer opens drills afterwhich he puts manure into them. He then sets potatoes on the manure afterwhich he closes the drills. During summer the farmer rises to the potatoes about three or four times, by means of a "two board" plough. About the month of July the farmer sprays the stalks with a horse-sprayer about two or three times to prevent the spreading of the blight. The potatoes are dug during the months of October and November. A potatoe digger or a plough are used to dig the(continues on next page)
