School: Dromiskin (B.), Dundalk (roll number 837)
- Location:
- Dromiskin, Co. Louth
- Teacher: James Morgan
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0665, Page 383
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- XML “The Potato-Crop”
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- (continued from previous page)ground, so that there will be no lumps whatsoever in it. If there is any scutch grass in it he then gathers it into heaps and taks it away in a cart. Then he harrows the soil, making it very fine. it is then ready for opening the drills. This is done with a double plough, which has a board on each side of the frame, and by these the soil is thrown on either side forming a drill. For early potatoes the drills are made about two feet apart, and for the main crop they are made about twenty-eight inches apart. The distance between the drills is regulated by what is known as a marker, which when projecting from the side of the plough marks the centre of the next drill.
Having opened the drills his next duty is to put out and spread the manure. Sometines the farmer shakes artificial manure on the ground. Some use Gurno others Nitrate of Soda, or perhaps both mixed. Some peole put plenty of this manure on the ground, but others believe that too much may perhaps make the potatoes big, but it also makes them wet. I, myself, believe that there is nothing like plenty of farmyard manure for both soil and crop.
The manure being spread the task of cutting seed comes next. I should mention that the potatoes generally used are - Aran Banners which are big potatoes but not considered bery good for food; Kerr's(continues on next page)
