School: Cabra, Kingscourt
- Location:
- Cabra, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: Violet Irwin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1008, Page 151
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- XML School: Cabra, Kingscourt
- XML Page 151
- XML “The Potato Crop”
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- On our farm we plant about two acres of potatoes each year.The ploughman prepares the ground for them. First the field is ploughed, then cross-ploughed, then harrowed. When the day is fine enough, it is made into drills. Farmyard manure is then spread in the alleys. The potato seed is dropped on this and some agricultural manure shaken on them. When this is done, the drills are closed. As soon as the potatoes begin to show, they are moulded with more clay.When preparing potatoes for planting, each part cut must have at least one "eye," or it will not grow.In Autumn, the potatoes are dug out with a digger drawn by horses. This machine has a large iron spade which cuts deep into the drill. It lifts up the stalks, which then come in contact with a spinner. This spinner separates the potatoes from the stalks and clay. The potatoes then fall to the surface, where boys are paid to gather them.The potatoes are stored in pits in(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Joe Howell
- Gender
- Male
