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(Based upon their research, and consultation with members of the
Macadamia Society, petitioners calculated that once the macadamia
trees reached maturity (which took between 5 and 7 years), each
tree would produce approximately 150 pounds of marketable nuts.)
The advice petitioners received proved to be erroneous; many of the
trees failed to fully develop during the first year. In order to
restore their crop, petitioners planted new saplings using a
technique that, in the prior year, petitioners’ consultant had
recommended against using.
In 1985, petitioners installed a gravity water irrigation
system on the Corona property. Notwithstanding the installation of
the irrigation system, the macadamia trees failed to produce the
quantity of marketable nuts that petitioners expected. Moreover,
in 1991 petitioners lost 50 of their trees due to frost damage.
(Only a portion of the number of trees lost were ever replanted.)
As a hedge against the poor yields of macadamia nuts,
petitioners decided to plant Fuyu persimmon trees on the Corona
property. In 1986, petitioners planted 300 persimmon trees on a
portion of the unused land at their Corona property.
Following a 3-year gestation period, the persimmon trees
yielded a marketable crop of fruit. As the trees and crops grew,
they required more attention. Petitioners hired a part-time
laborer, Carlos Ramirez (Mr. Ramirez), in 1988. On several
occasions, petitioners hired migrant workers to assist Mr. Ramirez.
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Last modified: May 25, 2011