Click To Return To Welcome Page Click To Return To Welcome Page
Click To Return To Welcome Page Click To Return To Welcome Page
Potato Planting Plough.
Previous | Home | Next
Potato Planting Plough

A Typical Jersey Horse Pulled Potato Planting Plough.  This was used to open a furrow in which the seed potato's were placed with the shoot /sprout angled towards the top of the furrow.  The distance apart each potato was planted depended on the size of the seed and how early the crop was expected to be lifted.  Early crop seed potato's were stood (chitted) in specially made boxes, this task usually occurred in November, the existing shoots were removed and the potato's were selected according to size (mids, ware and toppers) and stood in the boxes with the rose end upwards.

An experienced ploughman would guide this plough and the horse single handed, once the row was planted, the large wheel ran along it, the plough turned the soil which covered the planted potato's and opened a new furrow for the next row to be planted.  Some planting ploughs continued to be used after the demise of the Farm Horse, pulled by Ransomes crawler tractors.  Today a few continue to be used on the steep slopes known as Côtils.  In this case a tractor with a winch fitted to it is placed at the top of the slope, the plough is taken to the bottom of the slope and each furrow is opened and closed by using the winch to pull the plough up the slope.  In order to avoid ploughman and plough disappearing down the slope at great speed good cooperation is required by both the ploughman and the winch operator.

Lyndon 'Don' Pallot Lyndon 'Don' Pallot
How The Museum Started How The Museum Started
Click for map showing where to find us How To Find Us
Click to view Heritage Photographs Heritage Photographs
Click to View photographs of vehicles and museum displays Photographs (14)
Click to view images of a small part of the Museum's Contents and Displays Museum Contents
Click to view information and photographs of our Railway Our Railway
Click for Special Events Special Events
Click to send email Email
Return To Welcome Page Return To Welcome Page
Click For Useful Links Links
Copyright Information Copyright Information