Jan. 1, 1904.] 
THE TROPICAL AGIIICULTURIST. 
451 
LAC AND THE LAC INDUSTRY IN 
CEYLON. 
(By E. E, GiiEEN, Groveinment Entomologist.) 
Strictly speaking, lac is not a vegetable economic 
product, but aa it is a resin and collected upon plants 
it is convenient to inclnde it here. 
Lac is not— as sometimes supposed — a resinous 
exudation from a tree, excited by the punctures of the 
insect that accompanies it. The juices of the plant 
first pass through the body of the insect, and reappear 
as an excretion from the skin. The resinous mutter 
first occurs in the form of separate plates on the 
dorsal area of each segment of the larval insect. iV.3 
the insect grovfs these plates enlarge, ccalesce, and 
thicken ; finally forming a bard compact shell com- 
pletely enclosing the insect, but perforated by three 
small holes — known as the spiracular (2; and anal (1) 
orifices. Whex'e the insects are much crowded on a 
branch — as usually occurs — the resinous ca^es become 
agglomerated, resulting in a continuous incrnsjation 
enclosing the branch upon which it is formed. In this 
condition it is known as " Stick-lac. " " Seed-lac " 
consists of the resinous matter removed from the 
branches and broken up. " Shell-lac " is the rasidue 
after evaporation of an alcoholic solution of the reain. 
The lac insect is a Coociri or scale-insect, belonging to 
the geuus Tachardia. Many species of Tachardia are 
known to science, but only a few of them are of any 
economic value. The principal source of commercial 
lac ia Tachardia lacca, a native of India. 
LACQUER WOEK IN CEYLON. 
Lacwork, or lacquerwork, appears to be a dying 
industry in Ceylon. There are two distinct classes of 
work: one in which the lac-pigments are applied to the 
wood while it is revolving on a tnruing-lathe, the heat 
of friction causing the lac to adhere : and another in 
which the pigments are heated over a charcoal fire 
during application. The first class of work is applic- 
able only to articles that can be turned on a lathe, 
The second can be employed for the decoration of 
other articles, such as panels, Kandyan walking-sticks, 
standard handles, and small pieces of furniture. The 
painted pottery and much of the decorative panel 
work — often classed as lacwork in Ceylon — have really 
no connection with that art. The pigments employed 
in the painting of pottery are mixed with vegetable 
gams, and applied with paint brushes. Paint brushes 
are not and — from the nature of the medium — cannot 
be employed in true lacwork. As far as I have been 
able to discover, work of the first class is centred in 
the small village of Angalmadnwa (situate about 7 
miles from Tangalla), and is in the hands of two small 
families only. 1 have visited this village and (with the 
exception of the actual mixing of the pigment?, which 
was reserved as a trade secret) have seen the whole 
procesp. 
The product of two distinct species of lac insects 
(Tachardia alhiz^ia:, Green ; and T. conchiferata, Green) 
is employed by the lacworkeis of the Tangalla District. 
The former, known to the natives as " Kon laccada," 
occurs on the following trees :—" Keppitiya " {Croton 
aromaitots), " Kon " (Sclileichcra trijuga), " Hingurn " 
(Acacia cxsia), and " Kittipnl " (a name which I have 
been unible to identify). I have found it also on 
" Dulan-mara " (Albi^zia stipnlala), Pehimbiya " 
(Fihcium decipiens], " 'Nii-imhul " (liin-pullia ciqonni- 
odies), and Keplielium litchi. The^latter (2'. conchifei-ata), 
known as ' Tela-kiriya laccada, " is a scarcer species, 
andis found by the natives only on the Tela-kiriya " 
(Exccccat ia Jt/allocha J, a,n Euphovbiaceous plant. I 
have myself taken this lac insect on a species of Acacia, 
in the Kandy District. Though less aDundant than 
the other, this species is preferred by the lacworkers, 
as it produces lac of a brighter and clearer quality. 
They also use small quantities of imported Indian lac 
(the product of Tachardia lacca), which they purchase 
at Galle, It makes a qaality similar to that of Tela . 
57 
kiriya laccada. " A third species of Tachardia (which 
h; B been provisionally named T. iohuta) occurs in 
G^ylou on a species of Flacoxirtia. But the insect is so 
small and the resinous secretion so dense, that it 
would be of litils or no value for lacwork. 
WOOD E J! PLOYED IN THE WOEK; 
The wood employed by the lacworkers of Angal- 
raacluwa is — r.lmost exclusively— '• Suriya " (y/ie^/ifsuj 
j/opuliiea), which is light and easily worked on a 
turning lathi. It is seasoned (under cover) for 
about t?ro months. "Satinwood" (Chloroxi/lon Swietenia) 
id more larely used. Tiie work is smoothed with the 
leaves of the " Sandpaper tig " (Ficus asperrima). The 
objiitts usually manufaclured are small tables, chairs, 
fancy cups, tom-tom frames, and walking-sticks. But 
any article, the pnrts of which can be revolved on a 
lathe, cnn be lacquered by this proces?. 
The turning lathes employed are of a very primitive 
construction. The object is pivoted upon two fixed 
points, and ia revolved independently of the lathe. 
The operator woiks in a sitting posture on the ground. 
Tile object is revolved by a second man, by means of a 
piece of rope twisted two or three times round it or 
round a block to which it is attached. 
THE PBEPARATIO.V OF LiC-PIGMENTS. 
The lac-pigments are prepared as follows: — The 
freshly collected twigs bearing the lac insects are 
di ied in the sun. The resin is then removed, pounded 
and winnowed or sifted. In this condition it is termed 
simply ''laccada." It is then packed inio small 
bolster-shaped bags of thin cotton cloth and roasted 
over charcoal fires. As the lac melts and oozes through 
the cloth it is allowed to drip on to a smooth leaf or 
the smooth surface of a piece of plantain stem, where 
it cools iuto a hard brittle mass of a deep brown 
colour. This is the uncleared lac, locally termed 
" Kahata ekka. " A piece of this uncleared lac is next 
Eolfcened over the fire and attached to the point of a 
short stick. It is again warmed and a second stick 
attached to it. The softened lac is then drawn out 
between the two sticks, worked about, doubled up, ar d 
redrawn many times, until it assumes the form of a 
long stent ribbon of glistening fibrous lao of a bright 
golden brown colo ir. It is now kuown as drawn lac, 
or " Kahata netta. " It only remains to add the pig- 
ments, — a process which I was not allowed to see, but 
it is doubtless effected in much the same manner a,g 
described later, in the accouot of the Matale lacwork. 
The pigmented lac fiually appears in the form of 
broad cakes or sticks — resembling coarse sealing- 
wax — of four colours : red, yellow, green, aud black. 
They are usually shaped so that the edges vary in 
thickness, to permit of fine liues or broad bands of 
colour being applied, 
APPLYINa THE PIGMENT, 
The object to be ornamente;i is now attached to the 
lathe and revolved as described above. The pattern is 
in the form of bands of colour of varying breadth ; the 
width of the several bands being first marked out by 
holding the thin edge of one of the cakes of pigment 
against the revolving wood at the measured iu.ervals. 
\Vhere large surfaces are to be covered, narrow lines 
of one colour are olten superposed over a ground of 
another colour. A favourite combination — especially 
for the decoration of small tables — is a black ground 
with concentric rings of yellow or yellow and red. 
As mentioned above, the pigment is applied by 
pressing the cakes of coloured lac against the revolv- 
ing wood, to which it adheres by the heat of friction. 
After the surface has been roughly covered in this 
manner the colour is evenly distributed (while the 
object is still revolving) by means of small pieces of 
cane with blunt chisel-tliaped ends. The application 
of colour is repeated several times, and the work is 
finally pclished by holding against it a piece of fresh 
Pandanus leaf, assisted at intervals by the application 
of the operator's finger. 
The work is now complete, atid the pigmented lac 
forms a dense waterproof covering, which can be 
alfected oul^ by heat or alcohol. 
