Densho Digital Archive - Bob Fuchigami Interview (denshovh-fbob-01-0006)

<Begin Segment 6>

RP: What were your specific responsibilities in terms of chores or work on the farm?

BF: Well I, it probably started with taking lunch out to, to my dad. And then eventually helping him plant and harvest and... and then eventually you have to help in the, in the production and preparation of, of foods. And I helped my dad when we'd go to the grocery store and carry, carry boxes of tomatoes or cucumbers or squash into the grocery store and he in turn would purchase, you know, bread and some other stuff. Almost like a barter system. And then, I know at times we got orders for, say a hundred box of tomatoes or so forth, and my job then became one of putting boxes together. So we rigged up a contraption and you (take) pieces of wood and put it on the sides and hammer in your sides and bottoms. So I guess I became sort of a box builder. And so I... you know, you just tag along with your dad.

RP: So he would, he would provide produce for, for markets in the, Marysville, in the city area?

BF: Yeah.

RP: Any other areas?

BF: No. We had, we had, occasionally we had truckers who'd come in and purchase large quantities of, of produce. I imagine they probably either took it to the stores and distributed that or (it) could be they opened up some produce farms or whatever. So, that, that's basically what happened.

RP: You mentioned the bartering system that your father operated under with his market. Was that also going on between different farmers, too?

BF: You know, I don't know. I imagine it did 'cause, you know, in season we'd get maybe pears or we'd get apples or oranges or things like that, and I'm sure he gave them vegetables in return or jars of stuff that my mom had pickled or... we'd always have canned peaches or canned tomatoes that my mom had canned and I imagine that when people came, they brought stuff and we'd give them things in return.

RP: Was there a certain chore around the farm that really... that you reviled against doing? One of the, sort of the dirty jobs around the farm or was there a particular chore that...

BF: No, I don't think we, we tried to avoid anything. If something had to be done, we just did it. No one said, "Well, I'm not gonna do it. You do it."

RP: How about your older brothers? Were they, what were they doing on the farm?

BF: Well, I think when they were younger they probably did the same kind of thing I did. As they grew older, of course, they had... we had the tractor and they did some plowing and of course my dad always used a horse and a plow, but we did have an old, old tractor that we got when we moved to Yuba City. And they planted peaches and walnuts on the... you know, we plowed a twenty-acre piece in Yuba City. They, they helped around there until they graduated high school, then just before the war broke out, they were leasing their own land.

RP: In the same area?

BF: Yeah. None of them moved away at that time. So my... I'm sure my brothers helped in the pruning of trees and probably got jobs on neighboring farms.