School: Loughill, Longford

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1. Lifting and Storage of the Crop

   

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   Potatoes are grown in our farm. We set about anar of them. It produces a great crop if properly attended to. The lads of the house sow the potatoes. They are sowed in ridges. The potatoes are dug in October. They are dug with a spade. Some people dig on the ridge and other people did in the "Furrow". The people that dig in the "furrow" say it is far easier on the back. According as the potatoes are dug (they are dug) they are sorted in to heaps of big ones and small ones. You make a pit between two ridges. Then you put your potatoes in to it. You cover them with straw until you have until you have all the potatoes dug. The straw is the best to cover them because it lets out the gas. When you have all the potatoes dug you put clay on the top of the straw. Sometimes you have to leave a couple of holes in the clay to let out the gas; but these holes have to be closed before the frost comes. They are left there until the spring. Then they are sorted again and the bad ones are thrown away and the good ones are brought into the barn and some of them are kept to produce seed for the coming year.
   Long ago the potatoes were not left in the field. When they were dug they were brought in and placed on the "Hurdle". The "Hurdle" was made of sallies woven tightly together. They were kept up by four big beams made of oak. They would put about 3 tons of potatoes up there. There was an old ladder going up to it and they would have to get up there every night to get potatoes for supper. They had potatoes and butter milk for supper every night.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   William Halligan

   Gender

   Male