wood which is yellow. Air dried 0.51 sp. gr., kiln dried 0.45 

 sp. gr. 



"The wood is used for the manufacture of utensils, furni- 

 ture, bric-a-brac, wood engraving, etc. 



"The lac is gathered in China, of which the provinces Noto, 

 Iwashivo are renowned. Wax is collected from the fruit." 



Doubtless the principal source of vegetable wax is Rhus 

 succedanea and R. sylvestris. The former is cultivated exten- 

 sively in the warmer parts of Japan, south of latitude 35 N. 

 Japan but is cultivated principally between latitudes 35 and 39, 



The lacquer-tree grows in nearly all parts of China and 

 including the provinces of Etschizin, Schmano, Aidzo, Yoshino 

 and Yamato. The greatest yield is from trees 15 to 20 years old, 

 but the age of the trees when the lac is collected varies in different 

 localities, in some places at from five to six years old when the 

 stem is the size of a man's arm and in other localities at from 

 nine to ten years old. The time of collecting is from April or 

 May to the first of November. 



The tree and its anatomic relations are given in detail by 

 Moebius*. He states that schizogenic lacticiferous canals are 

 present in all parts of the plant. These contain the milk juice 

 that exudes after incision. 



METHOD OF COLLECTING THE LAC, AND ITS PROPERTIES.* 



The peasants sell the trees to the lac merchants who employ 

 collectors to gather the lac. Each workman operates upon from 

 600 to 800 old trees, or 1000 young trees in a season. He begins at 

 the bottom of the tree and makes horizontal incisions through the 



* D'er Japanishe Lacbaum, Rhus vernicifera D. C. Eine Morphio- 

 logishe anatomische Studie aphandlungen der senkenbergischen naturfor- 

 schenden Gasellschaft, Band XX, Heft II. 



5 The principal facts have been tv.ken from Rein's Industries of 

 Japan, but reference is also made to "J a P a m scner Lack" by Dr. Wagner, 

 Dingler's polyt. Journal, 218, 1875, pp. 361-367. 



The above description is nearly the same as that given by Ishimatsu, 

 which he states was partly taken from an account of the urushi manufac- 

 ture published for the use of the Japanese primary schools. Manchester 

 Literary and Philosophical Soc. 3 series, 7, 1882, p. 449. 



