School: An Cnoc, Clanna Caoilte
- Location:
- Knocks, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Máire Ní Liatháin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0312, Page 127
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- XML “Butter-Making”
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- (continued from previous page)at home from wool and flax. Even the very poorest - the labourers - kept sheep and grew about a quarter of flax each year.
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- Butter-making was one of the principal industries. Two or more farmers joined in the filling "of firkins" - a wooden vessel which was capable of holding about seventy pounds of butter. They both churned on the same day. & their combined products were salted, weighed, and packed. When they had sufficient to form a horse-load, it was taken by road to Cork & sold. When properly corned - the butter was in perfect condition after as long as six months. The buyers tested the butter by means of an augur - forced right through & jerked upwards. It was then tasted & graded. There were as many as six grades of butter in the Cork market & the price of the first was almost double that of the most inferior.
There were other classes of buyers - often farmers - who bought butter - for the purpose of increasing the weight & re-selling. This was done by what was called "slashing" - that is heating the butter & forcing warm(continues on next page) - Collector
- M. White
- Informant
- Laurence White
- Relation
- Parent
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 94
- Address
- Carhoovauler, Co. Cork
