Inspectors are employed under Civil Service regulations, except when war 
emergency conditions arise. They must have a certain amount of training or 
experience in related work to quality for the position, and pass a competitive 
examination successfully before entrance into the service. New inspectors are 
usually given several weeks of intensive training in Chicago or New York, or 
in one of the other large market centers. During this period market pathologists 
of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering assist in 
the training by giving a course of instruction in the symptoms, significance, and 
identification of the principal market diseases. To aid trainees in learning this 
phase of the work, specimens of fresh fruits and vegetables affected by various 
types of decays and defects are brought in from time to time from the cars where 
they were inspected, so that by the end of the training period the men have 
become proficient in the identification of the most important diseases and defects. 
Assistance by market pathologists, however, does not end at training schools. 
Their services are available at all times as consultants in Chicago, New York, 
and Washington, and supervisors and inspectors at shipping points and in the 
markets are continually sending the consultants specimens of various fruits and 
vegetables affected by diseases for identification and study. Proper identification 
of diseases in lots of fresh fruits and vegetables inspected has great significance 
in connection with the settlement of controversies between shippers and receivers 
and claims against transportation companies. Equitable settlement of the arrival 
condition of a shipment frequently hinges on the question of whether the diseases 
found were present at shipping point or developed in transit. Thus, it is very 
necessary that inspectors keep abreast of the times in this important phase of 
standardization and inspection. 
Training also includes instruction in the requirements of standards and in 
inspection technique. In addition to classroom work in these subjects, trainees 
are assigned to assist experienced inspectors with actual inspections in the cars 
and in cold storages. These experienced inspectors instruct the trainee in all 
phases of the work including opening of the car, taking samples, scoring of defects, 
entering the findings on the note sheet, and proper wording of the information 
to be shown on the inspection certificate. 
The trainee often is given the responsibility of interpreting the notes and 
reporting the facts to be shown on the certificate. His work is carefully checked 
by experienced inspectors and supervisors and through constructive criticism 
he learns inspection procedure quickly and gains confidence in himself. Exami- 
nations are given each week to indicate the trainee’s ability as an inspector. 
Such intensive training is usually continued for a period of 6 weeks or 2 months. 
Upon completion of the course, the new men are generally assigned to one of 
the larger offices where they continue to work for some time with experienced 
inspectors. Practically all of the Federal inspectors now serving in one of the 54 
offices located in the larger cities throughout the country began their careers in 
either the New York or Chicago inspection offices. The Federal supervisors of 
shipping-point inspection in most of the States received their training in the 
markets as receiving market inspectors. 
Inspection at receiving markets is not only available in the markets where in- 
spection offices are located but in any other city or town, prov ided the applicant 
is willing to pay the costs of transportation and other expenses of an inspector 
to and from one of these offices. Such offices, of course, cannot be maintained in 
all cities and towns of the country, because the volume of business would not 
justify the cost. At present, receiving market inspection offices are maintained in 
the following cities: 
Albany, N. Y. Atlanta, Ga. Baltimore, Md. 
Alexandria, La. Augusta, Maine Baton Rouge, La. 
23 
