April, '21] MONTGOMERY: FLORIDA PLANT QUARANTINE 197 



type they have been able to secure and hold the cooperation of Customs 

 and transportation officials and that of commercial shippers. Without 

 this cooperation their work would be seriously hampered if not made 

 worthless. 



As to the nature of the duties our men perform, it would be difficult to 

 pen a picture graphic enough to give you a complete idea. The duties 

 are multitudinous and comprehensive. All men holding appointments 

 in the port quarantine service of the State Plant Board of Florida also 

 hold appointments as collaborators of the Federal Horticultural Board, 

 thus having to administer plant quarantine rules and regulations of 

 both the federal and state governments. This arrangement is very 

 advantageous, for as federal officials they possess certain authority and 

 prestige not conferred through state appointment. The State Plant 

 Board of Florida has, however, paid the salaries and borne all other 

 expenses incident to the conduct of the work. There are som.e situations 

 presented which are fully covered by federal rules, others by state rules 

 and many by both state and federal m_easures. In the application of 

 federal, as well as state regulations, it is necessary that the closest and 

 most cordial relations shall exist between our m_en and the custom_s offi- 

 cials, for the reason that under the Federal Plant Quarantine Act of 

 1912, the application of the rules and regulations m^ade by the Federal 

 Horticultural Board is placed in the hands of the custom.s service. I 

 mean, particularly, the matter of search of vessels, cargoes, baggage and 

 passengers for m-aterials coming under the provisions of the Act. Theo- 

 retically, therefore, ])lant quarantine inspectors are to act largely in an 

 advisory capacity to the customs. In actual practice though, not only 

 at Florida ports but in California and at such ports as have been opened 

 as inspection stations by the Federal Horticultural Board, the plant 

 inspectors really do m_ake the search for contraband or regulated plant 

 material and quite frequently assist customs officials in other ways. 

 Sometimes it would be difficult for the casual observer to tell from the 

 nature of the duties performed whether a man were a plant inspector 

 or a custom.s inspector, so close is the cooperation and the interest of 

 each in the work of the other. To a lesser degree, the same appHes to 

 our relations with officials of the im.migration and public health services. 



In their dual ca-pacity our men, during the year ending April 30, 1920, 

 boarded 4,50(J vessels arriving at Florida ports. These have been in- 

 spected from stem to ,stem. Passengers' cabins and crews' quarters 

 have been carefully searched. Every place where contraband plant 

 material m.ightbe secreted has been investigated. Three hundred and 

 fifty thousand parcels — baggage and commercial shipments — have been 

 handled as being potential disease or insect pest carriers. Ot this 



