Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-06-04
TURF IN IRELAND.
How 1t IL Ont and Sold Tbs Ma nufa otu
OF Straw Paper. #

How It Il Ont and Sold Tho Ma nufaoturs
Of Straw Paper.
In the County Of Kerry in Ireland an
lrishman pays twenty-five cents to the
landlord for the privilege cutting Q strip
OF turf nino feet long. three feet wide,
ana from six to nine feet in depth. He
cuts the turf in the summer months, so
mat 1t will dry out during the hot
weather. 1t Is cut with narrow spade,
called the Gaelic . ISLAM" When cut
the turf Is piled into little heaps, 80
that the moisture will evaporate. These
heaps OF turf have to be turned usually
three times before the fuel is dry enough
to be carted away and piled in ricks.
AS rule, after drying, the turf must
be carted from four to six miles to the
home Of the peasant This Is done with
the aid OF donkeys and horses. II the
peasant happens to be speculator, he
carts the turf into Tralee, or some other
market town, and sells it. Turf is meas
ured by what are technically called
rails" This word indicates donkey
or horse load. Tho load is held in place
on the cart by means Of wooden frames,
set into mortises on the sides and ends
OF the cart, The turf is piled to q cone
on top OF the cart, and is held in place
by 'sugganns." A suggann is q rope
made OF straw. These ropes are also
used in some parts Of Ireland to hold
the thatch in place.
1t Is interesting to watch the process
OF straw-rope making. Ono man sits on
the floor OF cottage with several bum
dies Of straw by his side. He picks up
good-sized wisp of straw and makes a
loop by bending it in the middle. This
loop he bitches over the end of a piece
OF hawthorn, shaped like fish hook,
and with shank six feet long. A piece
OF string Is tied across from the barb of
the hook to the shank. and in the corner
thus made near the barb the loop of
straw is hitched. Another man holds
the end of the hawthorn stick. He
walks backward, slowly turning the
stick. Meanwhile the man who is seat
ed keeps twisting in more straw. In
the course Of five minutes suggann
thirty feet long is thus made.
AS the market is always from four to
ten miles distant, the cart is loaded on
the evening previous to the journey.
The start Is made very early in the
morning. This is particularly needful
in the case of the donkey, as his utmost
speed is three miles an hour. There is
no pressing need to be at the market be-
fore twelve o'clock, as in the smaller
Irish towns very little business is trans
acted before that hour. Occasionally
Paddy INDUCES in tricks before loading
his cart He corn cobs his load in the
middle, SO that while on the outside it
looks to be good, solid load, on the
inside there are q good many vacant
spaces. Sometimes the cart is dri ven
by the wife Of the 1rishman or his
daughter. If it happens to be the
daughter she almost invaribly ties up
her shoes and stockings in piece of
paper and hides the bundle in the load
until she arrives within one mile of the
market town, when she stops the donkey,
sits on q stone by the roadside, and
puts on her shoes and stockings. On
the homeward journey, after having
disposed of the load and walked around
the town with the proud consciousness
OF being the owner and wearcr OF a pair
Of shoes, she takes off her shoes and
stockings again and walks home bare
footed as she came. This is Irish econ
omy. A history is told in Tralee to the
effect that after colleen had removed
her shoes on the way homeward she
stubbed her toe. As she sat by the
roadside crying from pain and trying to
stanch the flow of blood she exclaimed:
'Ain't it lucky I didn't have on me
shoes. Shure they'd be bruk intirely
wild that welt!"-N. Y. Sun.