Potatoes

Cutting seed was a leisume task late each spring as warmer weather appeared. A small sharp knife was a must, along with a generous supply of potatoes and some lime which was sprinkled over the freshly-cut seed. It was a great discovery for me to be taught early on that at least one eye had to be included in each cut seed in order for growth to take place.

A light four-row marker, constructed from 2 by 4s, was hauled by one horse to lay out the drills and leave a slight depression to receive the seed which were often planted a foot apart. This was indeed thin planting which usually led to thin reaping, but “plant thin and save seed” was an idea promoted and followed back then. The sandy Iona soil was among the earliest Island areas for planting, but we never managed to get our potatoes in the ground much before June 20 each year.

Once planted, the seeds were covered shortly thereafter by a horsehoe pulled by a team. The handles of this simple machine were swung slightly left of centre to enable the driver to walk between the drills instead of on top of them. From time to time during the growing season, a small iron scuffler was pulled by one horse between the drills to dislodge growing weeds and to loosen the clay for the horsehoe to distribute around the growing stocks. A field freshly scuffled and horsehoed was indeed a pretty sight and a proof of tender care.

Spraying for bugs and blight was a regular job as well. Our sprayer was a small barrel on its side, with a hand pump and enough nozzles and pipes to c0ver four drills. All of this was set