School: Lakyle, Whitegate
- Location:
- Lakyle, Co. Clare
- Teacher: John Davis
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0588, Page 212
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- XML School: Lakyle, Whitegate
- XML Page 212
- XML “Care of Potatoes”
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- Care of Potatoes.Before the stalks come up the drills are levelled with a fork. When the weeds begin to grow the furrows are grubbed to soften the ground & to kill the weeds. Then the ground between each growing plant is hoed.
When the potatoes are about 6 ins. or so high they are moulded with a plough & when they are about one foot high they receive their final moulding.
Then the crop is sprayed. with a mixture of blue-stone & washing soda two or three times. The first
spraying is never given here till the first or second week in July - the next towards the end of that month and a few careful farmers give a third spraying in August.
The crop is usually dug about the end of October. Some dig them earlier in the month with a spade. Each man digging them takes two drills at a time & throws out the tubes in front of him.
Then boys or girls pick the large ones & put them in a heap about a yard wide and something less in height. The heaps are covered with scraws or straw & the a covering of clay about 6 ins. thick is put over the scraws Etc.
The small potatoes are then picked & put in(continues on next page)
