Standardization of Nursery Inspection 
F. M. O’Byrne, Gainesville 
In 1915, Florida inaugurated a new 
idea in nursery inspection methods. It 
was based on the fact that no inspector in 
the world can tell infallibly whether or 
not a plant is absolutely free from pests. 
Florida’s new departure consisted in re¬ 
quiring the nurserymen to file with the 
nursery inspector a complete record of 
their shipments so that the State would 
have this record instantly at hand should 
an outbreak of some serious pest occur in 
some nursery. Recognizing the great ad¬ 
vantage of this system, Mississippi and 
South Carolina adopted the Florida sys¬ 
tem in toto. 
It soon became apparent that there was 
need of standardization of nursery in¬ 
spection methods among the various 
states. Heretofore each state has had its 
own set of requirements, differing in 
many unimportant details. This has re¬ 
sulted in the utmost confusion. It re¬ 
quires a whole book of tiresome, tedious 
instructions to make these requirements 
clear to transportation agents and nur¬ 
serymen. So many and confusing have 
been the rules that nurserymen have not 
complied and transportation officials have 
been unable to co-operate properly. 
Neither could figure out what the require¬ 
ments in another state were. 
Obviously if we are to receive the full 
benefit of nursery inspection in the vari¬ 
ous states, we must standardize our re¬ 
quirements so far as possible so that the 
transportation agents can co-operate. 
Florida, therefore, broached the matter at 
a meeting of southern horticultural in¬ 
spectors and the plan was well received, 
the speaker being appointed chairman of 
a committee to suggest ways and means. 
This committee reported at Atlanta last 
February. Besides the chief inspectors 
of most Southern States, there were in at¬ 
tendance a number of prominent Southern 
nurserymen and the president of the 
Georgia peach growers organization. 
Great progress was made and the Florida 
plan was accepted by all in principle, but 
certain details could not possibly be agreed 
upon at that time. 
It was therefore proposed that we ad¬ 
journ, to meet again in some central loca¬ 
tion the last of May or the first of June, 
with the understanding that the four great 
parties at interest, the inspectors, the 
growers, the nurserymen and the trans¬ 
portation authorities, all be represented at 
this meeting. 
We would ask, if it be the will of the 
society, that a motion be passed endorsing 
the movement for standardization, ap¬ 
proving the Florida system of nursery in¬ 
spection, and authorizing the president to 
attend the forthcoming meeting, as the 
representative of this, the largest and best 
growers’ organization in the South. 
165 
