School: Berrings (Measctha) (roll number 4186)

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1. The Potato Crop (continued)

   

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   the potatoes and sometimes neighbours help each other to pick them. When the people are digging the potatoes they put them into small pits, until they have time to draw them into a barn or to put them into larger pits. This pit is covered with straw so that the rain cannot get at the potatoes, because if it does it will rot them. About the month of January the small potatoes are picked from the big ones and the seed potatoes are sometimes put into boxes to "sprout". The small potatoes are boiled and given to pigs, cows and other animals. The large ones are sold to the people in towns and city.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

2. The Potato Crop

   

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   The potatoes are the first crop the farmer sows in spring. The farmer first harrows the ground which was ploughed in winter. Sometimes it is cross-plough and harrowed again. Drills are then made by means of a plough. The yard-manure is carted out in the field and spread along the furrows between the drills. Meanwhile the farmer's wife prepares the seed-potatoes. If the year is dry the potatoes are cut into pieces. In each piece there is what is called "an eye". If the year is wet the potatoes are not cut. When the potatoes are cut, they are known as "skillawns". The "skillawns" are then placed on top of the manure and each "skillawn" about a foot apart from each other. The drills are then closed by splitting the old drills and forming new ones. The stalk is raised to when the stalk is three inches high.

   

   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

   Cornelius Herlihy

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Berrings, Co. Cork