ON TEXTILE PLANTS 



ance was due to the actual growth of new normal 

 tissue into the cavity eaten out by the weevil lar- 

 vae, with the result uniformly fatal to the larvae 

 itself. It appears that the larvum in its younger 

 stages subsists entirely on the highly organized 

 food material to be found in the pollen grains of 

 the unopened cotton flower. The new tissue 

 formed by a mere swelling or proliferation from 

 the central column of the flower is watery and 

 innutritious, and may starve the larvum to death 

 even if it does not act as a poison. 



Here, then, is a method by which the cotton is 

 able to offer effective resistance to the weevil. 



It is suggested that if a variety of cotton could 

 be developed in which the tendency to the growth 

 or proliferation of the new tissue was pronounced, 

 as it is in certain individuals, the weevil might be 

 exterminated. It is considered possible that such 

 a variety may exist at the present time in some 

 parts of tropical America, and that if such a 

 resistant variety can be found, it may be possible 

 to develop the characters in the cultivated plant 

 through selection. 



Inasmuch as individual plants show this power 

 of resistance, there should be no difficulty in 

 developing and raising cotton plants in which this 

 resistant quality is a uniform characteristic. The 

 problem is obviously identical in principle with 



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