The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-08
 NATURE A FACTOR IN WEEVIL CONTROL Dr. Hines Has Made an Inter-
 eSting Report ER MANY STILL AWAKE 
Follows United States In Sending Out Field Agents to Foreign Mar kets to Investigate and Re-
 port on Trade Conditions.

Washington, October 7-(Special)-To cotton planters throughout the United States bulletin issued this week by the department of agriculture on proliferation as a factor in the natural control of the l cotton boll weevil. will prove an interest," ing and entertaining study. Proliferation is the manifestation of a tendency of plant cells to respond to irritation by multiply ing or forming new cells
 This manuscript was prepared by Dr. W. F. Hines, special field agent It rep resents the result of long study of the proliferation in the squares and bolls of cotton by means of which certain per centage of weevil larvae are killed. It deals with practical statement of the effect of this formation of loss tissue cells upon the boil weey based upon a large number of observations made by the bureau of entomology.
 In order to determine whether prolifer- ation caused the death of larvte by starv- Ing or poisoning them, numerous experi- ments have been performed, mostly in Texas. with King" and other varieties of cotton which are largely planted throughout the south. Unmatched eggs and larvae have been matched in the midst of masses of purely proliferous for nation, and these have been kept in a tight moist chamber and transferred to fresh masses of prolferatlon as frequent ly as necessary to preserve proper condi- tons for the larvae. In spite of these fre- quent transferences and these somewhat unnatural conditions necessary 1t was found that but small proportion of the larvae died. In one series of experiments very young larvae were placed in fresh proliferous masses. Of these, one died on the first day, but all others reached full growth and pupated normally in from nine to twelve days having fed on noth- ing but proliferous material.
 New ProIferation Begins.
 Proliferation usually begins In the layer of the cells adjoining the thin, tough lining within each section of the boil, by far the greater part of this formation projects through the rupture made by the weevil in the tough lining and forms rather hemispherical mass protruding from the inner side of the carpet and pressing into the lock. The formation sometimes, though not always, begins be- fore the matching of the egg, which may be moved quite distance, in some cases, by the pressure of the mass behind 1t. In other cases the egg becomes enveloped and the larvae matches into proliferous mass. In such cases it may be destroyed early in life, though 1t will often make it's way into the lock- eating its way as it goes. As 1t feeds, the larvae is con- tinuously injuring and irritating tissues, capable of proliferation, which thus be- comes started all around the larvae and gradually pushes it from all directions It may happen in this way that the space which the larvae has eaten out as it grew becomes filled by masses of cells pushing 1t and the larvae cannot possibly eat away the forming mass rapidly enough to preserve q room for itself to move. Though 1t may be nearly or quite full grown, it cannot escape from it's narrow 1 ing prison, and soon becomes so closely enveloped as to be unable to move in any direction. 1t is then an easy victim for the relentless pressure of forming cells and is literally crushed to death In its prison.
 In all cases, whatever the stimulant, one factor is uniformally essential. There must be a cell injury which is not suffi- ciently secure to overcome immediately the vital force of the injured organ or tissue. Proliferation is simply the mani festation of a tendency of plant cells to respond to irritation by multiplying or forming new cells. It is simply a method of self-defense, and in the case of cotton, the irritation appears to be In nearly all cases Is undoubtedly to repair an Injury. Proliferation tissue Is not toxic to weevils. Death results in most cases In mechan- lcal way. from simple pressure.