THE CENTRAL PROVINCES AND OUDH 253 
in the same position, occupied in the absorption of 
savoury saps and in the excretion of valuable resin. 
With this resin a cell is formed in which is a solitary 
but willing prisoner, and in this cell, too, the insect 
dies, after having given birth to a numerous progeny 
that repeat the life-history of their ancestor. In 
former days it was the lac dye that was of value, 
and the memory of these times is still perpetuated 
in the colour called “lake” by artists ; at present it is 
the resin that is sought after, and the elimination 
of the crimson dye, which consists really of the 
mortal remains of the mother insect, is a problem 
that has not been quite successfully solved. 
The period of swarming of the young insects is 
for them a time of stress: some are killed by sun or 
rain ; some are devoured by insects or birds ; others, 
again, may not survive the painful march to a proper 
food-supply. And here it is that man may inter- 
vene by breaking off the lac-laden twigs before the 
exit of the young has commenced, and tying these 
in the tender shoots of suitable trees, by watching 
the new crop, and by affording protection against 
the enemies of the helpless insects. It was, of 
course, also well known to the forester that the best 
lac grows on certain species of forest trees, but the 
difficulty was how to control its cultivation on such 
trees, that grow scattered throughout a large area. 
In open village lands this problem presented no such 
difficulty, for the trees were under constant observa- 
tion, yet the increasing value of the commodity, that 
now leaves India to a yearly value of hundreds of 
thousands of pounds sterling, justified every attempt 
made to increase its yield. Mr. Lowrie was able to 
