School: Loughill, Longford

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1. The Potato Crop - Preparation of the Land

   

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   When a farmer is putting his potatoes in drills he ploughs the ground three or four times until there is a very fine tilth on it. Then the plough is run through the tilth in a straight line with the mould board turning up the clay in a heap. Then the plough is run again in the same scrape with the mould board turning up the clay on the other side. The alley is then formed and the manure is put out on the alleys and is spread in them. The splits are dropped with about ten inches between each one and the drills are closed on them. The drills are closed with a plough. It is run between the drills splitting them in two and the mould board turns the clay in on the splits. About eight drills are made to a perch. Iron ploughs are used nowadays but long ago wooden ones were always used.
   When potatoes are being put in ridges lea ground is nearly always used. It is ploughed very light and in scrapes taking six scrapes to make a ridge. The ridge and furrow together are about a yard and three quarters in width which is four ridges to an Irish perch. When the ridges are made the manure is put out in heaps on the ridge. A horse load of manure would make about six heaps with a perch between each one. The furrows are then "scored" with four scrapes in each one. Two of the scrapes are put in with the coulter and two without it. The two put in with the coulter are to dress the brow and to make the furrow square. The two put in without it are to obtain clay to cover the splits. The splits are dropped when the manure is spred. They are dropped three

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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)

   Collector

   Thomas Rogers

   Gender

   Male