5i6 



THE TROPICAL A GRICULTURIST. 



[December i, 1882* 



during which the sap cannot be drawn, the season is 

 brought to a close by the end of September. If the work- 

 man has any large trees to tap, the whole of which he 

 cannot reach when making his ordinary rounds, he taps 

 aU he can reach, and when his round is concluded he 

 returns with a ladder, and mounting each tree taps the 

 remainder of the trunk aud the leading Umbs in the same 

 manner as above described, previous to making a fresh 

 round. 



"When the full number of incisions has been given, the 

 workman gives an extra long cut underneath all the initial 

 notches on each tree to obtain the sap which has collected 

 there, and another above the uppermost cut of each set. 

 These incisions are called Vra-me (back marks). The work- 

 man also makes a number of cuts, each about a toot apart, 

 in all the branches whose diameter exceeds 1 inch. This 

 operation requires about sixteen days to get through the 

 whole number of trees. The nest operation is called the 

 Tome (the finish). This consists in a number of incisions 

 completely encircling the tree wherever the workman 

 perceives a likely place. The next process consists in 

 cutting off all the branches : the larger ones are once more 

 tapped after being cut off to extract any sap that may 

 still remain in them, aud the small branches which have 

 not yet been tapped are tied in bundles and steeped in 

 water for about ten days. When taken out and dried the 

 bark is cut with a knife, and the sap which exudes is 

 collected with the branch spatula, and is called Seshiine 

 lacquer. This wood seems to be derived from Sehi, the 

 name of a machine, aud ^himeinf (to press), from a practice 

 which obtained in olden days of pressing the branches in 

 such a machine to obtain the sap. It is also known as 

 ¥c(Ia vrushi, or branch lacquer, which latter more explicit 

 term is, for the sake of convenience, used throughont 

 this report. 



The sap obtained from the first five cuts above each 

 notch is poor, containing, as it does, a large proportion 

 of water; the miildle fifteen cuts produce the best sap, 

 and the sap obtained from the last five incisions is poor, 

 and lacks consistency. Again, the sap obtained from the 

 UrtMiie (back marks) and Tome (finishing) cuts is very good, 

 and dries quickly. 



The sap from the first twenty-five cuts is mixed and sold 

 together, but the Ura-me and Tome sap is almost alw.ays 

 mixed and sold separately. The operations above described 

 kill the tree in one season, but frequently the tree is 

 made to last two years or more, by giving only half the 

 number of incisions, and reserving the Ura-iiie and Tmhe 

 cuts for the final year. The sap obtained the second and 

 following years is, however, of an inferior quality, and 

 this method is only resoi'ted to by private individuals, who 

 tap their own trees during the intervals of farming. 

 Ordinarily, a wholesale dealer in lacquer buys so many 

 thousand trees from the owner, and, as a matter of course, 

 extracts the sap with as little delay as possible, making 

 a contract for the purpose with professional tappers. A 

 first-rate workman will receive over 100 yen (equal, at the 

 present low rate of exchange, to nearly £13 sterling) for 

 the season, and can collect four anda-half tubs (equivalent 

 to 18 gallous), but the average receive 75 yen, and collect 

 proportionately less. The present price per tub of lacquer 

 ranges from 90 to 100 yen. 



After the sap has been taken the exhausted tree, which 

 remains the property of the seller, is cut down by him, 

 and is used for firewood, for building purposes, or for 

 making boxes. The roots of the young trees tlu-ow from 

 three to five shoots the following spring, and these can 

 be used in six or seven years. Of these five sprouts three 

 are commonly much stronger than the other two. In such 

 cases, the strong ones only are tapped and cut down, the 

 weaker ones beuig allowed a year or two longer to grow, 

 when, receiving the wliole of the nutriment, they shoot up 

 in one year as much as an ordinary tree would in three. 

 After tapping and cutting down, fresh shoots to the nnmber 

 of five are again allowed to sprout, and so on, the root 

 not seeming to become exhausted by the process ; but when 

 a very old tree is cut down the root will not give out 

 new shoots. In the northern produces very old aud large 

 trees are met with in considerable quantities. These were 

 kept for the sake of their berries, from wluch the wax 

 used for the J.apanese candles was obtained. This was 

 jhe more profitable use to.which to put the tree, as a good 



tree, from eighty to one hundred years old, yielded yearly, on 

 an average, equal to 6s., while the price of a ten-year-old 

 tree to be used for extracting the sap was under ^d. 

 Previous to the revolution of 1868 every tree reserved for 

 making wax was officially registered, and the o^\Tier was 

 not allowed to mutilate it in any way. Even if a tree 

 died, he had to get official permission before removing the 

 stump. The Shogun's Government and also the local 

 magnates had large plantations of the lacquer tree reserved 

 for wax, but siuce the opening of the country to foreign 

 trade, and the introduction from abroad of kerosine oil, 

 the was industry has greatly declined, and there are now 

 no restrictions on the free sale of the tree for tapping, 

 and, consequently, all the fine old trees (which will sell 

 for from 5 to 6 yen each) are fast disappearing. 



To show the relative value of the berries and the trees 

 a few years ago, the following may be cited; — A wholesale 

 lacquer merchant informed me that five or six years ago 

 he went as usual to purchase trees in the district of Aidzu, 

 and among others bought one tree for a yen (then equal 

 to 4s), the owner reserving the berries that might be got 

 as his own property. He does not consider the bargain 

 was a cheap one, but the owner realized the sum of 80 

 sen (equal to 3s. 2it.) from that year's yield of the berries 

 alone before cutting down the tree. 



It should be mentioned that the above description of the 

 method pursued in tapping the lacquer tree is that which 

 is recognized as the proper one ; but, as even the specimens 

 of the lacquer tree forw.arded will show, the rule is not 

 rigidly observed, the style and size of the tree, and the 

 caprice of the workman, combining to cause variations in 

 the number of incisions given in each series. 



Various JVoodi used in makinfi Lacquer Ware. 



The woods chosen for lacquering on are naturally selected 

 according to the use to which the lacquered article is to 

 be put. For shelves, cabinets, and boxes of all kinds, the 

 following are principally used, and are set down in the 

 order of their excellence: — 



Hinoki (Chamcecyparis obtusa). — This is by far the best wood 

 for making boxes, as it does not warp. 



Kiri (Pau/omaia imperialis). — A light wood, used for 

 clothes boxes, which are only lacquered on the outside. 

 It is also used for making teacaddies, as the wood has no 

 smell. 



Hono-l'i (Maynolia hi/polemn). — All sword sheaths, have 

 hitherto been made of this wood. 



Saieara (Chamwcyparis pisifcra). — This is a wood of a 

 coarser grain than Hinoki (Cli. obt/'sa), 



Hime-ko-matsu. — This wood is used for carved figures of 

 men, animals, ect. It is not liable to split and crack. 



Tsiiya (Abies tsiir/a). 



Iliha {Thujopsi's dolahrata). — Used for making cheap 

 articles. 



Akmnatsu (Piiius densiflora). 



Suffi (Cri/ptomeria japonica). — This wood is only used in 

 making the cheapest and most inferior goods. 



The following woods are mostly used in the manufacture 

 of such articles as are turned in a lathe, as bowls, rice 

 cups, round trays, etc ; — 



Keyaki (Plunera japonica), the best being obtaiued from 

 the province of Hiuga. 



Shoji. 



Sakura (Pniniis pseiido-Cej'asus). 



Katsnra (Cercidiphi/ltum jajioiiicum) . 



Tcho (Ginko biloba). 



X-qo. — Grjwn in large quantities in the neighbourhood 

 of Hakone. It is principally used in the manufacture of 

 toys and cheap articles. 



Buna. — Principally used in the district of Aidzu for the 

 same kind of utensils as Keyaki and Sakura, but being a 

 brittle wood, it cannot be turneil in a lathe to make such 

 fine articles; those made of this wood are coarser and 

 heavier, For raising gold lacquering over the unvarnished 

 surface, the following hard ornamental woods are often 

 used : — 



Shitan. 



taqayasriH. 



Kariii (quince). 



Kitira (mulberry). 



Keyaki (Planera japonica).— Omnmeni&X grain. 

 — I'lutniiaceutical journal. 



