School: Béal Átha Conaill (2)

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1. The Potato Crop (continued)

   

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   furrows have to be well grubbed in order to loosen the earth. When this is done men put up the mould with spades or shovels, but the spade makes the nicest ridge. Then the potatoes get the final moulding. If the crop does well it should be fit for spraying by the 1st July. This spraying should not be neglected. The spray consists of eight pounds of Sulphate of Copper and ten pounds of washing soda dissolved in a forty gallon barrel of water. It generally takes about four to five barrels to do an Irish acre. Some people spray at intervals of three weeks but the majority of farmers consider twice quite sufficient. Potatoes that are well sprayed and kept free from weeds should keep green until the end of September. When the tops have become withered which is generally in October, they are then fit for digging. They are then taken out with spades and gathered up and put into heaps. They are first covered with green rushes. Then there are about four inches of mould put over the rushes and they are built op nicely to almost a point at the top. They are then secured from the

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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)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mr James Taylor

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Cavanagh, Co. Cavan