﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  265 
  

  

  on 
  the 
  analogy 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  Estate, 
  where 
  lac 
  trees, 
  even 
  on 
  

   cultivated 
  land, 
  have 
  been 
  assessed 
  to 
  rent 
  " 
  

  

  These 
  and 
  such 
  other 
  considerations 
  led 
  me 
  to 
  find 
  out 
  some 
  means 
  

   whereby 
  the 
  emergence 
  of 
  lac 
  insects 
  could 
  be 
  determined 
  with 
  at 
  least 
  

   some 
  degree 
  of 
  certainty. 
  This 
  step 
  is 
  essential 
  in 
  any 
  scheme 
  of 
  exten- 
  

   sion 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  and 
  I 
  may 
  say 
  here, 
  that 
  others 
  before 
  me 
  have 
  

   felt 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  finding 
  out 
  methods 
  whereby 
  the 
  wastage 
  of 
  lac 
  

   larvae, 
  that 
  is 
  inevitable 
  these 
  days, 
  could 
  be 
  appreciably, 
  if 
  not 
  totally, 
  

   avoided. 
  A 
  writer 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  seventies 
  remarked 
  ; 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  failures 
  that 
  have 
  attended 
  the 
  attempts 
  to 
  send 
  seed- 
  twigs 
  

   from 
  one 
  part 
  of 
  India 
  to 
  another, 
  have 
  been 
  due 
  mainly 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  the 
  seed 
  twigs 
  were 
  cut 
  too 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  swarming 
  period 
  or 
  

   too 
  near 
  it." 
  

  

  In 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  cultivation 
  has 
  been 
  started 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  

   there 
  have 
  been 
  instances 
  where 
  through 
  sheer 
  ignorance 
  the 
  attempts 
  

   have 
  proved 
  entirely 
  unsuccessful 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  subordinates 
  having 
  

   mistaken 
  the 
  exclusion 
  of 
  the 
  males 
  for 
  the 
  emergence 
  of 
  the 
  lac 
  larvae. 
  

   Almost 
  all 
  the 
  lac-bearing 
  branches 
  were 
  removed 
  and 
  carted, 
  when 
  

   it 
  was 
  detected 
  at 
  the 
  last 
  moment 
  that 
  a 
  serious 
  mistake 
  was 
  made. 
  

   There 
  are 
  not 
  only 
  straggling 
  records 
  of 
  such 
  happenings 
  but 
  there 
  

   is 
  ample 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  such 
  occurrences 
  are 
  not 
  uncommon 
  

   in 
  the 
  lac-growing 
  tracts 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  No 
  doubt, 
  the 
  

   ignorance 
  and 
  illiteracy 
  of 
  the 
  masses 
  is 
  a 
  serious 
  obstacle 
  to 
  the 
  adop- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  new 
  and 
  improved 
  scientific 
  methods 
  but, 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  spheres 
  

   of 
  life, 
  where 
  the 
  cultivator 
  becomes 
  aware 
  of 
  some 
  personal 
  gain 
  to 
  

   follow 
  by 
  the 
  adoption 
  or 
  relinquishment 
  of 
  a 
  practice, 
  it 
  is 
  expected 
  

   that 
  he 
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  convinced 
  of 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  adoption 
  of 
  a 
  better 
  

   method 
  for 
  prognosticating 
  the 
  emergence 
  of 
  lac 
  larvae 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  

   plantation 
  or 
  in 
  those 
  of 
  his 
  neighbours. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  experienced 
  

   Forest 
  Ofiicers 
  too 
  have 
  felt 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  adopting 
  a 
  method 
  which 
  

   would 
  do 
  away 
  with 
  the 
  uncertainty 
  and 
  fickleness 
  in 
  the 
  emergence 
  

   of 
  the 
  lac 
  larvae. 
  Mr. 
  McKee, 
  {Indian 
  Forester, 
  Vol. 
  I, 
  p. 
  269, 
  1876), 
  

   said 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  next 
  point 
  to 
  fix 
  on 
  is 
  the 
  local 
  date 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  

  

  insects 
  leave 
  the 
  parent 
  cells, 
  a 
  step 
  of 
  great 
  importance 
  and 
  one 
  on 
  

   which 
  the 
  first 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  plantation 
  will 
  very 
  greatly 
  depend 
  ; 
  should 
  

   the 
  work 
  of 
  gathering 
  broodlac 
  be 
  delayed 
  until 
  visual 
  proof 
  of 
  the 
  

   esxit 
  of 
  larvae 
  is 
  obtained, 
  a 
  vast 
  quantity 
  will 
  be 
  killed 
  in 
  the 
  operation 
  

   of 
  collection, 
  transport 
  and 
  of 
  tying 
  the 
  incrusted 
  twigs 
  on 
  the 
  standard 
  

   selected 
  nurseries." 
  

  

  