Part I. ] 
Stebbino : Note on the Lac Insect. 
41 
only forests in name, the people who wish to grow lac can find ample 
scope outside the forests, where the danger of theft is less. 
In Palamau and Hazaribagh lac is only collected by the Depart- 
ment in the reserved forests, which total an area of 245 square miles, 
the protected forests being imder the civil authorities. In this area 
the right to cultivate is only leased in Betla and Kechki, area 10 square 
miles, and in a few of the rest-house compounds and on individual trees 
in the Oriya block , area 1 square mile. No departmental work is under- 
taken. The Divisional Officer of Palamau states that the villagers do 
not care to cultivate in the reserved or protected forests because (1) the 
trees are more scattered than outside ; (2) theft of lac by the wilder 
tribes of the district is common and the trees outside are more easily 
guarded ; (3) that outside the people can lop as they like ; and (4) the 
trees grow bigger and more branchy outside. 
Lac is only obtained from the unclassed State forests of Kamrup, 
8 Assam Nowgong, Khasi and Jaintia hills, and Garo 
hills Divisions in Assam. The area in Kamrup 
and in the Khasi and Jaintia hills is unknown, but in the Garo hills and 
Nowgong the area under lac is 192,000 and 271,464 acres, respectively. 
The trees used are Cajanus indicus. Ficus Rumphii, Pithicolobium 
bigeminum, ‘ Gouhaitola,’ ‘ Kaorthanga,’ Thespesia Carr, ‘ Gangmang,’ 
‘ Suktapatea,’ Echinocarpus assamica, Jamiferus macropoda, ‘ Chinam- 
longdak, Charoetengia sp., Flemingia congesta. Ficus altissima. Ficus 
alternarine, Grewia laevigata. Ficus cordifolia. The lac raised on Cajanus 
indicus {arhar) can be put on to other lac-raising trees. 
The lac is collected by the local inhabitants by cutting off the twigs 
and branches and taking them to the bazars for sale. No lac is collected 
departmentally, and at present no steps are being taken to increase the 
amount of lac obtainable from either the reserves or unclassed forests. 
The revenue realized during 1905-06 was 1132,507, as follows 
Kamrup, R3,710 ; Nowgong, R8,100 ; import duty on lac from Khasi 
hills, R8,665 ; from Garo hills, R12,032. 
It would seem a pity that the question of lac cultivation is not taken 
up more seriously in Assam. It has been said that a crop can be ob- 
tained from Cajanus indicus in three years with proper cultivation. 
It woidd appear advisable for the Forest Department to take up the 
question with the object of showing what can be done by scientific 
management. It may also be suggested that the planting community 
