Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1879-06-07
FORTNIGHT IN IRELAND"
NUMBER SEVEN.

Each of these farms had certain amount of
cutting in the bogland; for boys weer con-
fined to certain localities, and did not grow
on every farm. These bogs afforded the fuel
(peat) which was cut and dried in summer,
hauled home and stacked for winter. They
produced fine black peat for depth some
times of twenty feet, and commonly from SIX
to ten. Besides peat, these boys produced
splendid timbers (6r) found often ten and if-
teen feet below the surface, in perfect preser-
vation-indeed improved by the long ages 1t
must have lain there. 1t was clear and tough
as ash or hickory, and used in the construc-
ton of farm implements and rude furniture.
The stumps which frequently showed the &C
ton of fire. were always found in their up
right. natural position, and when chopped up
were used for irewood at night; for being full
of rosin, they afforded the usual light. The
straight part, however, was shivered off into
thin 6 splits" and burned, stuck horizontally
in tin sconces, or in crack IN the chimney
place, instead of candles, and they burned just
as steadily and far brighter. The roots, ex-
tending from these stumps, or " blocks, as
they were called, were, after being cut into
lengths and soaked in water for month,
peeled of in strips and plated into ropes
and used for fastening down thatch, and were
almost indestructable have sat by many
60 chip" fire in winter, and watched old men
twisting these ropes of wood, and winding
them as they grew under their hands, around
the legs of stool. These things have all
passed away The boys where used to appear
in summer forest of " rickles " of drying
turf-peat-hav nearly all been cut away,
and the country is almost destitute of fuel,
for the bogs they are cutting from now are
but half formed peat, all having been cut
over before, and in avery few years their only
fuel will be coal, all of which must be imported.
Fortunately, but little fuel is needed, save for
cooking, for there is no severe weather in
winter, ice rarely forming sufficient to bear
the weight of the school boys. | have been
particular in describing some of these things,
because there are very few among US who
have lived so long there, or SO far back my
self, and they are rarely spoken of by those
familiar with them. But to return: These
small farms were mostly, indeed except plow-
ing and narrowing, entirely worked by the |
spade. Very frequently the land wss turned |
over by the spade instead of the plough, and
especially the potato field. In this labor, wo-
men and men bore their share alike; and |
have seen within very few years, girl at
the piano, and fair player tool mean in
Tro1an1 1rbosa nathan I bova han61a
the spade in spring, and the sickle in harvest
many time and oft, and on that same now
neatly carpeted room, with hair seat chairs
and sofa and piano, | have seen the family
of that very young lady's mother, seated on
" creepies " - three legged stools-eating
their dinner; pot of boiled potatoes
dished up on the bare floor inside
a hoop-their only Kitchen" (relish) salt.
The crops consisted of oats, potatoes and fax,
with perhaps patch of turnips peas, and
to secure a crop of any one of these required
just such constant care as a Chinaman gives
his vegetable lot. The SOIL fretted and i'm
poverished with constant crops, required con-
slant manuring, and all crops were kept clean
Of weeds. Boys and girls were kept constantly ,
1t work in the potato, oat and fax patches,
with "clips," sort of wooden nippers, pull
ing up and throwing in heaps, thistles, gowans,
md weeds of every kind, and this was kept
up till the crop was matured. Reaping was =
done by the " hook and sickle, and some of .
the best reapers were found among the women, +
md the favorite was always chosen to cut the
hare, " left standing from the harvest. This
vas done by throwing sickle from distance
md cutting it down; and while l write, 9
ong scar shows itself on nay knuckles, received q
rom bounding sickle over half century
go, thrown by Mary Glass. A feast, or
kim " (churn) always wound up the harvest p
An aye the rantin' kim We got" says "
Burns in Halloween, and as the North of it
roland people are mostly Scotch, they keep 81
p the Scotch games and habits The estates al
FINISHED the tenantry with young trees for ii
and timber hawthorn plants te
ere furnished for hedges, frs and sycamore n,
nd "Rowan," known as mountain ash, in
.merica, for shade trees, and ash for timber
he ash trees were all marked and numbered N
y the agent, and could only be cut down by Id
is written permit, but the landlord, out with 10
lie hunt, reserved to himself the privilege of lis
ding over with his friends, the young crop, !"
h. of,,llx 81