PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 789 



North Cachar Hills, Sylhet, Darrang, Lakhimpur and the Native State of 

 Manipur. The chief Mts are Palasbari, Chhayagaon and Boku. The 

 main host plants of the lac insect are Cajanus indicus, Grewia, Kijdia 

 and Fkus spp. 



Bihar and Orissa. The districts where quantities of lac are collected 

 are : — Palamau, Singhbhum, Sonthal Parganas, Manbhum, Gaya, 

 Hazaribagh, Sambalpur and Lohardaga. The chief centres of lac are 

 Daltonganj, Haripur Hat, Puraha, Jhalda, Ranchi, Goilkera and 

 Chaibassa. Fifteen thousand maunds are said to be produced yearly 

 in the Palamau District, 12,000 maunds in Gaya, 2,000 maunds in Hazari- 

 bagh, 15,000 maunds in Purulia, and there is great room for expansion 

 in these as well as other adjoining districts. 



The chief hosts of the lac insect are Butea frondosa, Schleichera 

 trijuga and Zizyphus jujuba. During 1917-18, the lac exj^orts from the 

 province were worth Rs. 13,38,00) {vide Report on Trade of Bihar ami 

 Orissa, 1917-18). In my ojmiion there are great possibilities of develop- 

 ment in this Province alone, provided the host plants of the lac insect 

 are utilized to their utmost, better methods of cultivation and collection 

 are practised, and provided there are better facilities for obtaining 

 healthy brood-lac near at hand and in sufficient quantities at the required 

 time. I know from personal experience that there are vast areas full 

 of Palas, and if these are utihzed fully the total produce from this Pro- 

 vince only will nearly equal the quantity produced throughout the 

 country exceptmg the Central Provinces, which regarding lac cultiva- 

 tion no doubt occupy the premier position and like this province 

 await development on proper lines. 



The Central Provinces. The districts where quantities of lac are 

 collected are : — Raijmr ; Bilaspur ; Saugor ; Mandla ; Hoshangabad, 

 Sobhapur, Babai, Barkhari, Futtahpur l Damoh, Narsingpur, Jabbalpur ; 

 Balaghat ; Bhandara ; Seoni and Betul. The mam food-plants are 

 Zizijphus jujuba and Z. xylopijra, Butea frondosa, Schleichera trijuga 

 and Acacia catechu. The south-eastern parts of the province contain a 

 large number of S. trijuga trees which produce the finest lac from which 

 pale-yellow or orange shellac is manufactured. The province as a 

 whole could Supply from 54 to 60 million lb. of stick lac if properly 

 worked. Nearly the whole of the produce was sent to Mirzapur, but 

 now a great portion finds its way to Calcutta. Besides these, there 

 are considerable areas in Berar where lac is locally cultivated and 

 collected, especially the Nandurbar forests, and as this area abuts on the 

 Hyderabad State, where active steps are now being taken to start lac 

 cultivation, there is every possibiUty of this area becoming an important 

 lac-growing centre in course of time. 



