Planting Spuds In Cape Breton

Every May 24th weekend was potato planting time when we were kids. It was a family affair and no member was exempt. Mom had the job of cutting the seed potatoes. With her paring knife she would slice through the seed potatoes and manage to get several good seeds from one potato.

Meanwhile Dad and his favourite horse Lady with one of the boys would plow a row about 8 inches deep. All the family would take up positions along the row and with Mom's seed potatoes in a container would place the seeds 1 foot apart at the bottom of the row. Dad would walk along the row with a rake and close the furrow and cover the seeds. Another plow row and the the row for the next seeding.

This planting would take several hours and after the last row was covered we would prepare for dinner. Meanwhile Dad and Lady would harrow the field and make it look great. Lady would get a rest and some extra oats and be turned out to pasture. We as a family sat down to Mom's stew and corn bread. All the talk was about how good the crop would be and eventually we asked about our picnic plans at Groves Point.

On the holiday we tried to get in the water for a swim even thought the water was cold. There was something special about a big family working and playing together. We were not rich but had a wonderful experience because of the dynamics of eleven people living together. Large families  can lead to rewarding experiences.