The
illustration below shows a turnip pulper, these might be described
as an industrial grater although the grating plate has been removed
from this one it would have been attached to the wheel you see in
the basket. The basket in this pulper is made from cast iron, as
is the wheel and the handel seen on the left of the image.
Pierces of Wexford one of the largest foundries
in Ireland in its time manufactured pulper's and many other farming
and household items in cast iron.
The turnips were put in the basket and the
handle turned this cut long finger sized slices from the turnips,
these slices fell from the bottom of the oulper into a basket or
bucket placed under the machine, farmers often used potato baskets
for this job.
In later years some progressive farmers fitted
small petrol engines or electric motors to drive the pulper's, one
farmer in County Down who had a water powered corn mill on his farm
drove his pulper with the waterwheel. |
