School: Meath Hill (roll number 7166)
- Location:
- Meath Hill, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Patrick J. Connolly
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0712, Page 206
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- XML School: Meath Hill
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- XML “The Potato Crop”
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- The Potato CropThe potato is the most widely grown crop in this district. Consequently they are used for man and beast. They are a fine healthy food, delicious too, when properly boiled and no dinner is complete without them. We plant our potatoes in ridges which are made with a plough and we have one rood of potatoes every year. When the ridges are made they are levelled with a spade and then the manure is put out in heaps on them. Only the good potatoes are picked for seed. The very big potatoes are not cut for seed. Only the medium size ones are cut. They are cut into pieces each of which must have an eye or two. Then they are dropped on the ridges and a foot left between each seed. Then the furrows are dug with spades and the lay is put up on the top of the ridges. After a month or six weeks young stalks come over the ground. Then the furrows are dug again and the clay is put up on the ridges. After another while when they are fairly big they are sprayed with a mixture of soda, bluestone and water to prevent their taking the "blight" a very destructive disease to which they are subject. We use Kerr's Pink's and Aran Banners for seed. In Autumn the stalks begin to wither and then they are fit to be dug. We dig them with spades(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Patrick Carry
- Gender
- Male
