School: Loughill, Longford
- Location:
- Laughil, Co. Longford
- Teacher: P. Ó Corcora
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0768, Page 386
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- XML School: Loughill, Longford
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- XML “Actual Planting”
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- Potatoes are grown on our farm. My father sets about 1 1/2 acres each year. He prepares the ground sometimes in drills and sometimes in ridges. When the manure is drawn out and the furrows "scored" he commences to sow the seed. When he has the potatoes are in drills this is how he plants them. When the ground has been ploughed and harrowed several times he opens the drills with the plough. Then he carts out the manure and puts a heap between every four drills. Then it is scattered in the alleys. A young person drops the potatoes about ten inches apart on the dung. Then he closes them with the plough. If a double-mould board is used he closes them in half the time. Drills do not pay unless the year is dry. After three weeks he bush-harrows then flat, and raises them again with the plough. This is how he plants them in ridges. He "scores" the furrows in four scrapes, two to make mould, and two to square the furrow with the coulter. The potatoes are dropped by a young person. They are dropped three in a row and about 9 inches apart. Then a man shovels up the clay on the ridge. After three weeks he begins to "finish" them. He "scores" the furrows and shovel the clay upon the stalks. This makes the stalks stronger.
- Collector
- Kevin Doherty
- Gender
- Male
