Grass-seeds and peas.
By Willem Traas

In our first newsletter I wrote about how we began our farm in 1967 and 1968. Now I will continue from there. In 1968 we did not have enough fruit or customers to earn a living from it. So we had to farm and I decided to rent land from other people. I remember the farmers and their fields. When I drive through the county-side I know many fields and the acreage in them (and the snags). From Kedra, Killiney, Woodrooffe, Grange, Barne and Irish names of villages and townlands which are too difficult to spell. The smallest field was four acres and the biggest one eighty. Grass-seeds, peas, sugar-beet and grain were grown. One year we had luck with the grass-seeds and I collected the biggest cheque of my life from Powers Seeds in Waterford. Certainly Joe Keating will remember harvesting grass-seeds and peas! So too will John Anthony Hally and Padie Casey.
Now as I write of grass-seeds and peas, I think of Willie and John from the Priests Road who kept the birds out of the crops. Willie died a long time ago, and so did many other people who were alive and well at that time. Apart from renting land we also did jobs for other farmers. We set sugar- beet for Paddy Hickey, Willie Hickey, Noel Sheehan, Paddy Devereux, Coleyn Thompson-Moore, Willie Leahey, Martin Collins, the McClintock family and Dermot O'Brien. We travelled from Golden to Ballymacarbry. Looking back it is amazing how hard it was to make some money.  Still, we did make some money, and used it to buy fruit-trees. It was in 1985 that we last rented land.  It rained all summer!  So from 1985 we are fruit-growers, with a small area of tillage on our own land. 
 In 1985 our Camping & Caravan Park also began to be important. The next time I will write about this. 

Children's competition:

(Entrants should be aged 12 years or younger)

1st prize:             €25.00 voucher for Omniplex cinema in Clonmel.

Runners-up (x2)  €10.00 voucher for apples, jam or apple juice at our farm shop.

 Q.1  Why did Willem Traas decide to rent land from other people in 1968?

 Q.2  Who kept the birds out of the peas?

 Q.3  How many eyes has an Argus? 

Send your entries (to reach us before April 7th, 2002.) to:

 Spring competition,

 The Apple Farm,

 Moorstown,

 Cahir,

 Co. Tipperary.

Remember to include your name and address on your entry. All correct entries will be entered into a draw for the three prizes. 

Winter competition winners:

Caoimhe Joyce Hearne

Brian & Paul Heffernan

Margaret-Mary McGrath

Lisa Anglim

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