<Begin Segment 16>

ES: Now, how did the Japanese farmers actually get the information in terms of how to efficiently grow the crops and the marketing strategies, if that's involved? How did they, how were they able to do that?

ES: Well, first is growing crops. We had a good agriculture commissioner by the name of Lynn Cody at the, far as I can remember, as a kid, about 1917 or so. He was very into actually helping people to make success. Because the county itself here was an agriculture county. Absolutely pure agriculture company. And they depended on the agriculture department helping out with problems with pesticide and fungicide and that nature, also with the seed. So I believe it was very cosmopolitanized here in the valley here. They didn't have the feeling of tearing each other apart.

JS: Did the Japanese farmers themselves give each other hints about how to do things?

ES: In a way, and in a way not. Because they were interested in what they grow, and they grow such a small acreage, and they don't want to give some of it away, other words, their talents, experiences, away.

JS: So they had their secrets.

ES: Yeah.

JS: Could you give any of the secrets your farmer, your father had?

ES: Well, I don't know.

JS: [Laughs]

[Interruption]

JS: Did the Japanese here have any sort of organizations that kind of helped them out in terms of their farming that is Japanese themselves?

ES: Well, Japanese in one... several organizations. They had their own co-op, and that means that they can buy together or sell together. And that helped a lot, because they could bargain that way.

JS: What was, what was the basis of these co-ops?

ES: It was purchasing as well as selling their crop.

JS: Okay, but I mean, in terms of what tied the organization together?

ES: Well, I think... I don't know how to say it, but the cooperative effort, trying to make a success in times of difficulty. In other words -- this is getting off the subject -- but when time of distress and hard money, earned money, they had what they call tanomoshi, it's a credit union. And that helped a lot, and pulled over through, in hard times.

JS: Was the tanomoshi related to, sort of, kenjinkai type of thing?

ES: No, no. It's our credit union by itself.

JS: Just a, for the sole purpose of agricultural co-op?

ES: Right, right.

JS: Were you involved in any of that?

ES: I was secretary.

JS: Oh, yeah? And what were your duties as secretary?

ES: [Laughs] Well, it was in difficult times, so someone would make it hard to pay back, so I just have to keep hounding him to pay up his bill so the whole co-op, the tanomoshi wouldn't go bankrupt.

JS: And I guess tanomoshi, the concept here is each participant in it gave a certain amount of money per whatever month or monthly or something like that.

ES: Yes, every month. They would meet and put up so much money. In that group, someone wants to borrow our money, so they'll borrow the money, and then by next month or given time promised, they would return the money. Of course, with a little, little interest money that...

JS: Was it easier to do that than, say, go to a bank?

ES: Oh, yeah.

JS: And why was that?

ES: Because we understand each other and we worked together.

JS: Okay. And most of who we're talking about are Isseis, aren't they? They don't speak English...

ES: Right, Issei and early Nisei.

JS: Okay.

ES: Because early Niseis were tied with their families.

JS: Were there any other ways that you guys could get loans or credit for seed or equipment besides tanomoshi? The bank, I guess...

ES: Well, the bank is the last alternative. Friends is, friends, actually, could be the last alternative to borrow money. But that's very few because in hard times, everybody's having hardship.

JS: What type of arrangements would have made, were there made for irrigation?

ES: Irrigation? That varies with the type of soil and the structure of the soil as well as levelness of the soil. Usually when they have such a small farm, each farm shares the pumping rights for the water.

JS: Okay. Pumping rights meaning pumping from where?

ES: From a well.

JS: And the well is located...

ES: Well, there might be one well or two wells located in that camp or group, and they would share their water. From certain time you pump and certain time they pump. And when everybody wants the water at one time, in other words, they build a big reservoir, and you draw the water from the reservoir.

JS: Okay.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2005 Densho and The Japanese American Museum of San Jose. All Rights Reserved.