School: Curreeny, Dolla, Nenagh (roll number 16486)
- Location:
- Curreeny, Co. Tipperary
- Teacher: James Conlon
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0537, Page 046
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- XML School: Curreeny, Dolla, Nenagh
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- XML “The Potato Crop”
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- The amount of land under potatoes varies each year. Some farmers sow about half an acre while others sow about 2 acres. The farmer himself prepares the ground aided by his son or sons. Some people spread manure on the land in Winter before ploughing it up in Spring but generally speaking the ground is not manured until it is ready for the seed. Both ridges and drills are used.
The ridges are made with banríoch spades for turning the side scraws while the middle is left empty for the manure. The spuds or seed are placed under the scraws with one slit in the middle of the ridge. [illustration]
First the manure is spread, then the seed is placed on top of it, (about a foot between the rows) and lastly the scraws are turned in with a spade of clay being thrown over the slit in the middle. After a fortnight the furrows are grubbed and shovelled. The drills are made with the plough and horses. Wooden ploughs were used about 50 years ago but iron ploughs are used at present. The spades are bought in the shops. The middle sized potatoes are picked. If the potato is fairly small there is only a small piece out of the end farthest from the eye, but if the potato be large it is cut into halves.(continues on next page)
