HUNTER
SEKINE HOUSE
Coram
Hunter Sekine House on Mill Road. Photo from the Davis
Erhardt collection
Click
Here to see three follow up stories about Hunter Sekine
Flowering Cherry Trees Shipped From Yaphank Experimental FarmJapanese Wisteria Now In Bloom At W. Yaphank Experimental Farm
35 Cherry TREES from Sekine Farm Transplanted
to Museum Grounds
Japanese
Horticulturist Raises Many
Odd Fruits and Vegetables
By Helen M. Ewing
Middle Island Mail
Wednesday, Sept. 18, 1935
In a book of
nursery rhymes, which we had as a child, was a jingle
something like this: "Did you ever see a ship sail
on the land? Did you ever hold a mountain in your hand?
Did you ever? No, you never! For it really can't be done,
you understand.?" We were reminded of this other day
when Hunter Sekine, the Japanese horticulturist who lives
alone on his farm between Coram and Yaphank and
experiments in the propagation of fruits and vegetables,
showed us the results of some of his recent experiments.
Walking about
his place. We were astonished to see a small apple tree
bearing very tiny, cherry-sized yellow apples, larger
sized crabapples, and ordinary-looking red apples, all at
the same time. That, according to Mr. Sekine, is nothing
- that tree (which is 16 years old) has only 10 different
kinds of apples growing on it. He has another - a
Japanese crabapple tree - that has 16 different varieties
of apples growing on it.
This is
effected by grafting, which he does by himself and uses
shoots from China, Japan, Tibet and other countries.
Grafting can be done any month of the year except
November, he said. Still another of his trees has 13
different graftings including one from Manchuria. It is
not necessary for him to tag the different shoots as he
can recognize them as easily as he could recognize them
as easily as he could recognize people of different
nationalities.
There is also
an apple tree, the trunk of which is 102 years old. It is
nothing but a shell as the center has rotted away, but
there is one branch of the original tree and it is still
bearing fruit. There are four other branches which have
been grafted on, all bearing fruit also. One is the
"delicious" apple, one the "star
king," one the "MacIntosh" and one the
"Rhode Island greening" and they are all sound,
first class fruit. This seems to be an exception to the
Bible statement that "neither doth a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit." There are two or three
other old apple trees upon which new shoots have been
grafted.
A pear tree,
bearing fruit which is ripe and edible now, as well as
fruit which will not be ripe until winter , is also a
surprise.
Another unusual
thing which Mr. Sekine raises is a chestnut pumpkin.
Pumpkins have been raised for 2,000 years and have been
improved upon from time to time. This new variety, upon
which Mr. Sekine has been working for 27 years ripens two
or three weeks earlier than American pumpkin and is well
liked when eaten as a vegetable. He also raises Japanese
cucumbers which are in season from July until frost and
are 10 and 12 inches long. He also raises white radishes
which grow as long as 14 inches, and Japanese muskmelons,
watermelons and grapes.
One of the
secrets of Mr. Sekine's success is the fact that part of
his property lies in a valley that is protected by hills
on all sides. Just south of his farm is a piece of land
said to be the highest elevation in Brookhaven town and
the second highest in Suffolk county. Because of the
protection afforded his valley, the growing season is a
month earlier in the spring and lasts a month later in
the fall. Also the soil seems to be peculiarly adapted to
the growth of small fruits and melons.
Mr. Sekine owns
116 acres, of which he cultivates 15 or 20 acres. It is
part of what was originally the Overton farm - David
Overton if Southold having settled in South Coram by
1738. The Old Town road which went from Setauket to
Fireplace (Brookhaven village) passes right next to the
farm. The Alfred Overton pond is north of it.
Mr. Sekine is a
graduate of the University of Tokio and was formerly
employed by the British government. He has lived in
Middle Island for 10 years and previous to that he came
there for several years only at planting time. Wistaria
is his particular hobby and he has many varieties. He
planted the first here in 1901.
He does not
make a practice of selling things locally but sells his
produce to a chain of five restaurants located around
Times Square, which send a truck twice weekly. Trees and
plants are sold in various ways, to some extent through
nurseries.
Article
about Mr. Sekine May 13, 1936
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by Jillian Guida
Keyboarding Technology Student