ies Ged 
Jointworm galls not caused by sting of adult.--F. F. Dicke, Char-— 
lottesville, Va., reports that "Practically the entire month (March) was 
devoted to a detailed study of the development of the wheat jointworm 
(Harmolita tritici Fitch) and the wheat sheath-gall jointworm (H. vagi- 
nicola Doane) galls * * * particular stress was given to whether or not 
gall development was induced by a growth—producing stimulus introduced 
by the female during the process of oviposition. * * * In all instances 
it was found that the tissues disturbed by the oviposition process healed 
very quickly. However, there result many irregularly shaped cells in 
the scar tissue with streaks of dead material between the cells through-— 
out the tissues pierced by the ovipositor. No true gall tissue was 
found in any such plants, nor have we ever found a cavity which was to 
contain the egg. * * * In the culms normally infested with eggs there 
is further evidence against the 'introduced stimulus' theory. The pres-— 
ence of the egg causes a reaction in the affected tissues immediately 
after oviposition, which really results in the healing of the tissues 
lacerated by the ovipositor. * * * When the larva makes its appearance 
there, again, is a decided reaction in the plant tissues. * * * By the 
end of the first instar (when the larva is immotile and bathed in plant 
sap) there is quite a mass of such protoplasm—filled tissue surrounding 
the larva. In the second instar the plant sap does not flow quite so 
freely, but the larva develops a long pointed head segment which it uses 
to prod the surrounding plant tissue to induce sap flow. This prodding 
by the larva is the initial stimulus for the rapid development of gall 
tissue which follows. * * * Apparently this neoplasmic growth is com- 
posed of material produced from the by-products of larval metabolism. 
Its distribution in the tissues and the resultant gall development is 
caused by the continuous larval irritation starting with the second—in- 
Star larva." 
COTTON INSECTS 
Boll weevil survival in 1933 greatly reduced over 1932.--In con- 
nection with the following record, it will be recalled that the winter 
of 1932 was one of the mildest ever known, with corresponding small per- 
centage of boll weevil mortality. An interesting contrast between the 
Winter of 1932 and that of 1933 is indicated in the report of G. L. 
meth, 2. Cy, Clark, ‘and A. L. Scales; of the Tallulah, La., laboratory. 
This year a total of 45 weevils were recorded as active in the 70 hiber— 
nation cages (35,000 weevils) in March, whereas 1,114 weevils were record— 
ed in 70 similar cages in the same month a year ago. On the 20 flight 
screens in the fields only 9 weevils were collected in March, as compared 
to 223 in March 1932. In the hibernation cages, therefore, 4.039 percent 
as many weevils were noted in March this year as last year, while the 
flight screens collected 4.035 percent as many weevils as were collected 
on Similar screens in March 1932. 
Boll weevil survival in Spanish moss.——-One of the methods of deter- 
mining the winter survival of boll weevils for comparison with survival 
in previous years is to collect the hibernating weevils in Spanish moss 
