Densho Digital Archive - Henry Nishi Interview II (denshovh-nhenry

<Begin Segment 9>

RP: So, besides the black locust, do you remember propagating pine trees or wisteria or any...

HN: I don't remember our... I don't remember what else. I know there was other things that we, we had. But, I didn't stay to the end so I don't, I don't remember what. I'm sure the nursery was there until the end.

RP: Uh-huh. You had the lath house.

HN: Yeah.

RP: Did you have any other facilities that comprised the nursery? Did you have a little, any cold frames for starting seedlings or anything else that was constructed?

HN: Of course we had the... we built the lath house, we built the potting benches. And I, and we made a seed bed for... we planted right, kind of in a raised, raised bed.

RP: For seeds?

HN: For seeds, yeah.

RP: Uh-huh.

HN: As soon as they sprouted, then we transferred them to gallons.

RP: How about your mixes, soil mixes? What did you use for a potting medium?

HN: We used just a regular, just what was available, I mean, the natural soil there. We didn't have any amendments. We just used the topsoil.

RP: The topsoil?

HN: Yeah. Especially there was a lot of areas where there was a lotta, a lot of organic material.

RP: A little blacker soil?

HN: Yeah, yeah. As opposed to just sand. [Laughs]

RP: Well, it drained really well, didn't it?

HN: Yeah. It was, that valley is, that's really good soil.

RP: Uh-huh. Did you... I guess... would you have had fertilizer available to you at all?

HN: Oh, yeah. I think just about anything that we needed, what we requisitioned for, we were able to get. I think it's because of that, because of the extensive farm that, that they had, I think that was no problem for the little bit that we needed as far as when it comes to fertilizers. I don't think we ever used any kind of insecticides or anything like that. There was no need for it, but it was just a matter of good soil and watering is, is about...

RP: There was a lot of manure available at the chicken ranch, too.

HN: Yeah.

RP: So did you, since you were right next door to the guayule project,

HN: Yeah.

RP: Did you get to know those guys at all and did you share information back and forth? Did they ask you to do any planting for them?

HN: No, as I remember we didn't, there wasn't... they were busy doing whatever they were doing. I think they were more intent on... they were more serious people than we were. We were just having fun. [Laughs]

RP: Can you...

KP: Can I ask a... the lath house, was that yours or was that the guayule... I mean, were you both using the lath house?

HN: No, guayule people, they built their own lath house. We built our own. It was entirely separate. Yeah, we were just close together, yeah. I don't remember how, what the square footage was, but it was a pretty big area that we had.

RP: Your lath house?

HN: Yeah, there was that, that southwest corner of the camp.

RP: Did... what was I gonna ask you. Can you describe the, as you saw it, the change in the way the camp looked from the time that you arrived there to the time that you left? Even during the summertime when people began building gardens and putting in lawns and that kind of thing...

HN: Oh, there was a big, big change real quick. 'Cause most people, they had time on their hands, so planting vegetable gardens or planting landscaping, that's what they did. That's what they did. That was... and one person did their yard nicely, the next person would say, "We gotta build, we gotta do something, too." It was just kind of a chain reaction, I think. 'Cause everybody's... it got, especially block gardens, I think it actually got kind of competitive. Do, we'll build a better garden than Block such and such. [Laughs] Yeah.

RP: Were you involved with any of the building of any of those block gardens?

HN: No, no.

RP: But you watched 'em kind of take shape.

HN: Yeah, yeah. There was... once it got rolling, everybody wanted to plant. The soil was good. There was plenty of water. And there was plenty of material to, especially locust trees. You're already mature trees that you could dig up. And I don't remember doing any like that but they must have been, they must have been given permission to go out of camp to, to get locust trees because there wasn't no locusts actually on, on the property. Well, there was some, yeah, but of course in order to, in order to build, build the camp itself, I think they had to clear the ground almost entirely. So they, I would imagine all those people that had those big locusts had, had to go outside of camp to get them.

KP: Can I ask a question? You said that, that when your dad was in L.A. he was one of a couple people who were actually moving big trees.

HN: Yeah.

KP: So in camp, was that kind of your specialty or were a lot of people interested in moving trees at that time or was that something you led the way...

HN: Oh, when we say moving trees like in, when you move deciduous trees, especially like locusts, it's practically just pull them out of the ground. It's bare root. But when you, when I say moving trees, actually boxing them, boxing meaning making a box around a root ball, and it was the two major companies, tree movers, it was Hampshire Tree Moving Company, which was in West L.A. then there was Superior Tree Moving Company, and maybe there were a couple others and my dad.

RP: So was the, it sounds like the nursery that you established in Manzanar was a real learning experience for you as well as the other guys involved with it. Was it? A learning experience for you? Did it enhance your horticultural abilities and knowledge?

HN: Yeah. Having that background and it... and we all had experience because our parents were in the business. And none of us that were on that project, we were all experienced, not experienced nurserymen but, but was in, exposed to a lot of agriculture, ornamental agriculture.