Ireland's Famine-era 'Bleeding Sods' - Apparently.
During the Great Famine (1845-1852), some Irish farmers employed a desperate tactic to increase their potato yields. By "bleeding" the soil - literally, by making small cuts in the potato plants to increase drainage and oxygen - they hoped to coax more potatoes from the land. Despite its unorthodox nature, the method, known as "Bleeding Sods," was documented by British authorities as being used by some Irish farmers in an effort to stave off starvation.