Crew of potato pickers - Joyce eeves, eanor Reeves, 1 i i y eeves, Bums, Ralph Bums, Wendell Reeves and Fred Reeves.

of potatoes or about four acres. Other farmers growing 400 or more bushels of potatoes at that time were Redmond Wall, Timothy Maxfield and Duncan Cameron. The average farmer at Freetown produced 234

bushels of potatoes or one and a half acres in 1840. This suggests they were a staple in the daily diet and source of cash in the export trade to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Initially potatoes were relatively free of disease and pests on P.E.I. With the arrival of new settlers and new varieties of potatoes the possibility for the introduction of these problems grew stronger. By 1845 blight,

or what was then known as “potato taint or rot”, had become widespread on the Island. The blight remained a problem which cut potato production for many years.

Potato production had begun to grow when in the late 18305 and early 18405 a number of Irish immigrants mainly from County Monaghan settled in the Freetown, Kinkora, Emerald area. These settlers came with

their knowledge of potato growing and also some of the varieties then common in Ireland.

In the 18505, potatoes were one of the leading exports from the province with the United States being the chief destination. Potatoes were loaded onto boats and shipped to ports as far away as the Caribbean

and as close as Shediac, N.B.

In 1860 the average farmer at Freetown grew 239 bushels of potatoes, up very slightly from 1840. John Cairns was the major grower (code 10) with 900 bushels or about 6 acres. Other major growers were Robert Schurman (code 19), 700 bushels; Felix Murphy, (code 33) 500 bushels and Ralph Schurman, (code 5) also with 500 bushels.

In the 18605 the export of potatoes to the United States decreased due to the Civil War and the United Kingdom became the chief destination. In the late 18605 another problem arose for potato growers in the form of the Colorado Potato Beetle. A remedy for this new pest, known as “Paris Green”, was discovered by farmers in 1867, but this did not come into general use until the end of the century. The first records of potato varieties on P.E.I. are found in the agricultural exhibition reports in the late 18605. The varieties reported were: Emperor Germany, Regent, Jackson White, Calicoes, Early Rose and Goderich. In 1868 William Cairns of Freetown won the competition at the Prince Co. Exhibition with his display of Jackson White potatoes.

The Royal Agricultural Society imported a potato digger from Ireland in 1856. This digger was in demand

and a pattern was made of it in 1857. In 1861 a potato digger was made by an Islander, William MacKenzie. This machine could dig 500—600 bushels per day. The farm implements used at that time for potatoes were: harrows, horse—hoes, iron ploughs, carts, truck wagons, cultivators, wood ploughs and mussel mud diggers.

Mussel mud, dug from bays, inlets and rivers, was used as a fertilizer and had the added benefit of a rich lime content. Peat moss or marsh and swamp mud was also used to fertilize potatoes. Felix Murphy

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