36 
Indian Forest Records. 
[ VoL. I. 
There are two crops of lac in the year. One is called “ Katki ” 
(November) and the other the Baisakh fApril-May) crop. The insects 
swarm in December. 
In the Narsinghpur Division no lac is collected departmentally 
from the unclassed forests. It is collected more or less from the entire 
area of reserves, 159,392 acres, the greater quantity being found in 
47,480 acres of the Richai Range. No lac is collected departmentally. 
It is leased to contractors who employ coolies to cut the twigs on which 
lac is found, the coolies receiving R1 per 8 seers {Kurhd). Lac is being 
propagated by lessees more or less over 87,993 acres and over 851 acres in 
the Bandha block. 
In the Hoshangabad Division lac is found in scattered plots over 
the entire area of 161,025 acres of reserves, none being collected in 
the unclassed forests. No departmental collection is undertaken. The 
lac trees are leased to contractors who employ labourers to cut the lac- 
bearing twigs before the larvae swarm. The twigs are collected in 
bundles and dried for fourteen days, then beaten with wooden maUets to 
separate off the lac, or the lac-bearing twigs are sold in bundles. The 
lessees working in reserve forests sign an agreement to leave a certain 
amount of lac on each tree for propagation. In certain cases they are 
obliged to bind brood-lac on a specified number of trees. Experimental 
steps are being made departmentally in the Hoshangabad Range to rear 
lac on the Butea frondosa. 
In the Chindwara Division no lac is obtained from the unclassed 
forests. In the reserves lac trees are scattered over approximately 
22,000 acres. No departmental collection is undertaken. Leases for 
lac collection are given out for one to three years, the contractors engag- 
ing their own coolies. The lessees are bound to leave a certain amount 
of lac on the trees for propagation. The revenue per annum has increased 
in the last three years from R200 to R700. 
In the Damoh Di\dsion lac is collected by contractors over 400 acres 
of unclassed forests and over 76,781 acres of reserves, chiefly from Zizyphus 
xylopyra. Both classes of forests are leased out to contractors who 
employ the local inhabitants, chiefly Bharias, Kawats, and Gonds. The 
twigs are cut before the larvae swarm and collected at centres in the 
forest called ‘ farwas.' The lac is removed from the twigs by the hand 
and taken thence to depots where it is weighed and made over to the 
lessees. The rate for collecting varies from 10 to 16 seers the rupee. Ac- 
cording to the terms of his contract the lessee is bmmd to leave at least 
half the lac on every tree for propagation purposes and he may not cut 
