My 18th century forebears in the south of Scotland seem to have been mostly agricultural workers, and so I found this description of the lives of farm workers in Ireland enlightening as I am sure conditions were no different in Scotland. I spent only three weeks during the war---and it was enough---potato howking in Kirkcudbrightshire. Our school in Glasgow recruited us lassies for, I think, either 30/-d a week, or 30/-d for the three weeks! I can't remember now. It was very hard work, and when the rain turned the earth into clabber, it was much more difficult to pick the potatoes quickly enough out of the rills before the horse and digger came around again. It gave me great appreciation for the lot of farm workers, and maybe this is why I chose to work in an office. Maisie ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, December 12, 2010 10:36 AM Subject: [Irish Genealogy] Farm Machinery/Uses -- Muckross Traditional Farms, Killarney, Co. Kerry - Triip to Ireland 2006 > SNIPPET: At Muckross Traditional Farms, Killarney, Co. Kerry, my sister > and > I found that to a great extent the lives of country people were ruled by > the > natural world around them. Each season brought its own set of activities > in > the house, in the farmyard and on the land. These activities were governed > by the weather and the requirements of the animals and the crops. In the > spring, for example, the two-horse plough was often used. While working, a > man and his horses might walk up to 8-9 miles a day at an average speed of > 2 > m.p.h. The harrow cultivated the soil in order to produce a suitable seed > bed for setting the crops. The corn drill seeds would pass down each tube > from the seed box to the coulters, which cut groves in the soil to receive > them. The turnip and mangel seeder machine was a precision seeder which > was > used to set turnips and mangels in rows or drills. In summer, the mowing > machine was pulled by two horses and used to cut the hay meadows, usually > in > May or June. It could also be used to cut corn. After mowing the hay left > lying in lines or swaths in the field; a day or two later, the hay was > turned over by the swath-turner in order to expose the undersides to the > sun > and wind. The hay rake collected or raked up the hay in order to make > wynds > in the field. The hay car was used to bring in the hay from the fields. > The wynds of hay were winched on board using ropes and a ratchet system. A > potato sprayer was used to spray the potatoes, on a dry windless day, with > a > mixture of bluestone and washing soda in order to prevent potato blight. > The process could be repeated several times throughout the growing season, > depending on weather conditions. Prior to the advent of the reaper-binder > a > gang of workmen, known in Irish as a meitheal, were required to cut the > corn > and bind it. The reaper-binder allowed the corn to be both cut and bound > quickly and efficiently. In autumn the potato digger was pulled by two > horses, the board-share of the digger ran beneath the potatoes which were > then lifted and spun free of the soil. The threshing machine threshed the > grain from the straw and winnowed away the chaff. The arrival of the > threshing machine in the farmyard, accompanied by many workers, was seen > as > an important social occasion in the farming calendar. A root cutter > (pulper) was used to chop-up root crops such as turnips or mangels, > allowing > easier consumption by the livestock. In the early 1900s milk separators > were a common items of dairy equipment. They were used to separate the > lightweight cream from the heavier skimmed milk. Cream was poured into a > butter churn which was then rotated using the side-handle. Visitors who > called to the house while butter was being made were expected to take a > turn > in churning. There were many piseogs (charms and spells) associated with > butter-making. It was widely believed that the butter could be stolen by a > local "hag" using magic, especially during the month of May. > > > Check out the Ireland GenWeb website at: http://www.irelandgenweb.com/ > > Great place to get help with your family research. > > Help wanted: County Coordinators > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message