School: Garryross
- Location:
- Garryross, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: Bean Uí Eochagáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0995, Page 403
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- XML School: Garryross
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- XML “The Potato Crop”
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- (continued from previous page)After a couple of weeks the furrows are cut again for the moulding. Then the shovels are brought into use and the loose clay shovelled up on the ridges a second time.
During the summer the crop is kept free form weeds. In the month of July they are sprayed to keep away the blight. Three sprayings are carried out, the first end of June or beginning of July and every fortnight after.
In October the farmers start to dig out the potatoes. They use spades for this and sometimes the plough is made use of if the weather is fine and dry. Potato diggers are not generally used as the farmers think they injure the potato and cause rot when stored.
The potatoes are stored in pits in the fields in which they are dug. Sometimes three pickings are made. The small ones. The seed and the Eating ones. The small potatoes are not pitted. They are taken home every evening and used as pig feeding. Little boys and girls who usually do the picking.
The most common kinds of potatoes are Kerr Pinks, Aran banners, Aran Chiefs, Victors etc.
All our Grandmothers made starch from potatoes. They grated the potatoes they then squeezed(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Eileen Ní hAilpín
- Gender
- Female
