School: Berrings (Measctha) (roll number 4186)
- Location:
- Berrings, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Domhnall Ó Drisceoil
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0348, Page 086
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- XML School: Berrings (Measctha)
- XML Page 086
- XML “The Potato Crop”
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- The farmer sets the potatoes in spring. The field in which the potatoes are to be sat is ploughed with an iron plough during the winter. Timber ploughs were used in this district about sixty years ago. The field is harrowed to make the earth fine afterwhich drills are opened by means of a "two board" plough. The potatoes were sat in ridges many years ago and spades were used to till the ground. But the people set more potatoes now than they did about sixty years ago, and as the spade is too slow the horse and plough are used to make and close the drills. When the drills are opened, manure is put in them. The potatoes are sat on the manure afterwhich the drills are closed. If the potatoes are large they are cut into "skillawns" but if they are small they set whole. The ridges were made by the people long ago. Manure was spread on the ground first afterwhich the ground was "hacked". The potatoes were then set by means of a spade. The stalks are sprayed by means of a horse-sprayer during the month of July. If the weather is wet the stalks are sprayed two or three times, to prevent the spreading of blight.
The potatoes are dug during the months of October and November by means of a plough or a potatoe-digger
- Collector
- null
- Gender
- Male
