School: Castlepollard Boys (roll number 5513)

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1. Potatoes

   

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   We have an acre of land at home as a garden and every year we sow half of it with potatoes. We sow the other half with vegetables.
   Before sowing potatoes a lot of preparation is needed.
   First of all my uncle digs up the soil with a spade. Then he gets the potatoes and cuts them.
   When cutting potatoes it is necessary to leave one eye in each half. Then he gets the manure and spreads it on the ridges. Then he drops them putting three across the ridge. When he is finished dropping them he gets a shovel and shovels the clay over on top of them and then he has the ridge sown He sows drills much the same way. First he opens the drill with a spade. Then he puts on the manure and plants the potatoes. He fills them in then and he has finished. When the stalks begin to grow they are second-moulded. This is called second-moulding, that is, the mould is dug with a shovel out of the furrows and is thrown over the young plants until they are covered.
   When the stalks are about a foot and a half above the ridge they are sprayed with a mixture of bluestone and washing-soda to keep the blight off. To insure safety from blight potatoes should be sprayed twice. When they are second-mould and sprayed they are dug. If it is drills that

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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

   Collector

   Peter Haughey

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   Barney Masterson

   Relation

   Relative (other than parent or grandparent)

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Williamstown, Co. Westmeath