Part I. ] 
Stebbing : Note on the Lac Insect. 
37 
twigs over 6 inches in girth. He is also held responsible for propagating 
new areas. 
In the Seoni Division no lac is collected from the unclassed forests. 
It is found scattered here and there in small quantities over 285,086 
acres in the reserves. It is leased out to contractors on one to three 
years’ leases. The lessees issue permits to Gonds, graziers, and local 
villagers to collect the lac for them, paying them at the rate of 5 to 6 
seers for the rupee. In their agreements the lessees are bound to collect 
the lac as far as possible after the swarming of the larvae, to leave two- 
thirds of the lac on the trees, and to propagate lac on fresh areas. 
In the Saugor Division lac is scattered in small quantities over 220,216 
acres of reserves, none being collected from the imclassed forests. It is 
not collected departmentally, but leased to contractors who pay the 
local inhabitants, chiefly Gonds and Sours, to collect it. They cut the 
twigs in the sowing season, i.e., beginning of June and November and 
beginning of December. The lac is scraped off the twigs with blunt 
knives, dried in the sun, and then sold. For the last three years a small 
sum of R50 has been provided in this Division for the propagation of lac, 
but little has been done owing to the scarcity of brood-lac. In the 
Rangir forests (area 10,152 acres) a good deal has been propagated by 
contractors and also departmentally. 
In the unclassed forests of the Betul Division no lac is collected. 
In the reserves it is collected by contractors from patches of 5 to 20 
acres in extent scattered over the area. It is collected for the con- 
tractors by the Kurkus, a jungle tribe. The Gonds will not touch the 
lac owing to caste prejudices. This is said to check the industry as 
the lac is only propagated in the neighbourhood of Kurku villages. 
The lessees are bound to extend the cultivation of lac, wherever suit- 
able trees are available, under departmental supervision, and are also 
obhged to leave two-thirds of the lac on the trees. Severe frost affected 
the lac in 1905. 
In the Jubbulpur Division lac is only collected over 2,605 acres 
of reserves, none being taken from the unclassed forests by the Depart- 
ment. It is worked departmentally on a small scale in block 39 as an 
object-lesson to lessees to induce more to engage in the industry. The lac 
is collected for the lessees by the local inhabitants before the larvse issue, 
every effort being made to obtain good lessees who are in a position to 
undertake the work on a large scale. 
In the Mandla Range lac is collected over an area of 918,400 acres. 
A small area of 100 acres in the Shahpura Range is worked departmentally 
