Part I. ] 
StebbinG : Note on the Lac Insect. 
25 
gation of the lac insect inhabiting dry hot localities such as Central 
India into the humid warm tracts of Eastern Bengal and Assam. 
Before considering the methods of propagation and cultivation in 
force in India it will be advisable to consider here the distribution of 
the insect in the various presidencies and provinces in the Continent and 
the trees upon which it thrives best in these localities . 
1. Bombay and Sind. 
In Bombay the chief lac industry appears to be confined to the Panch 
Mahals. It is obtained in small quantities from Dobad and from ths 
forests of the neighbouring States of Ali Rajpur, Udepur, and Deogad 
Bariya. The chief lac-yielding trees are Ficus religiosa, Butea frondosa, 
Ziz}'phus jujuba, and Schleichera trijuga. 
In Sind lac is found along the Indus and south of Hyderabad. It 
grows chiefly on Acacia arabica, but is also found on Prosopis spicigera, 
Zizyphus jujuba, Albizzia Lebbek, Tamarix galhca, and Ficus bengalensis. 
2. Central India and Rajputana. 
In Rajputana the industry flourishes to a certain extent, whilst in 
Central India the insect is common throughout most of the area. 
The chief host plants are Butea frondosa, Schleichera trijuga, and 
Zizyphus jujuba. 
The two native States far excellence in Central India which cultivate 
lac are Rewah and Nagode. The principal tree in both is the Butea 
frondosa, the next being Schleichera trijuga The times of swarming 
of the larvae and therefore of collecting the lac incrustation from the two 
trees vary, being later for the latter than for the former, 
3. Punjab. 
The lac insect is found throughout the Punjab. The chief trees used 
for the cultivation are the Ficus religiosa, Butea frondosa, and Zizyphus 
frondosa. 
4. United Provinces. 
The lac insect flourishes in parts of the United Provinces and is to 
be found in small scattered quantities throughout the area. Attempts 
have been made to cultivate it in places on a large scale, but they do 
not appear to have met with great success. 
