PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 799 



these are present in the country. It requires working tliem up so as to 

 start an industry which has some prospects before it. 



I have touched briefly the salient points concerning cultivation, 

 collection, after-treatment and manufacture into shellac. There are a 

 number of other points which I hope to touch upon hereafter. In 

 conclusion it may be said that the industry is very old and India practi- 

 cally holds the monopoly for the time being. Before other disturbing 

 factors step in, it is essential that a complete survey should be made of 

 the industry as existent at the present time — both in forest areas as 

 well as in the plains — and then to adopt such measures as would resus- 

 citate the industry efficiently as well as financially. It need not be 

 reiterated here that such lines of action would greatly ameliorate the 

 condition of the aboriginal tribes inhabiting the outskirts of forests as 

 well as the Plains, and I think the time has come when necessary steps 

 should be taken to safeguard the interests of the industry which are 

 really very old and important. 



We have not done so much work on this subject as Mr. Misra has Mr. Ramakrishna 

 done and it is only recently that the Government of Madras has thought ^y^^''- 

 of this industry. The first thing I would like to know is, what are the 

 different species of lac insects ? 



I believe tiiat there are a number of species and one of these is Mr. Misra. 

 Tachardia lacca. 



We must know at what time the young ones swarm out. With us Mr. Ramakrishna 

 they swarm in September and October and we get a poor harvest. Our Ayyar. 

 difficulty is to get broodlac. We do get it from Pusa but we cannot 

 get it just at the time that we require it for inoculation because the 

 times of swarming at Pusa and in,Madras are dift'erent. The lac-insect 

 found on mango has been identified by Mr. Green as Tachardia lacai. 

 We require to know definitely what species is commonly cultivated in 

 India and what species can easily be propagated. 



Can Mr. Misra give us some technical details of the work he is going Mr. Beeson. 

 to do and his field-stations and so on ? 



In order to find out parasites we have to examine twigs, to rear Mr. Misra. 

 them out in cages and even to dissect out the parasites from their hosts. 

 Another difficulty is the identification of the parasites. Euhlemma is a 

 serious pest of lac in store-houses. 



We must first find out the species, because they may differ. ^- Ramakrishna 



Ayyar. 



We have at Pusa an enormous accumulation of material of lac insects. Mr. Misra. 

 both dry and in spirit, from various foodplants and collected dui'ing 

 every month of the year in almost all the lac-growing districts of India. 



VOL. II 2 B 



