54 
Indian Forest Records. 
[ VOL. I. 
have been known to produce lac for ten to twelve years \vithout rest. A 
good-sized tree wall yield from 30 seers to 2 maunds of stick-lac. 
f^-^Mr. McKee when Conservator of Forests stated that he thought it pro- 
bable that most of the lac exported from .Assam was collected from 
cultivated crops of Cajanus indicus. 
Lac is produced in comparatively small quantities in Madras, appa- 
rentlv owing to the fact that the industry of 
9. Madras and Coorg. " . • , , • 1 V- i 
ornamentation with the product is but little 
understood. It is produced to a small extent in Kanara and Malabar on 
the Shorea Talura, the crop being collected from the middle of October 
to the middle of November, whilst the seed-lac is propagated from about 
the m.iddle of March to the middle of April. 
Very little lac appears to be collected in the districts in Lower 
g or Upper Burma. This is curious, for from old 
accounts extant it would seem probable that 
there was a considerable export of Pegu lac three centuries ago. That 
the industr}" could be worked up in Upper Burma and a highly lucrative 
trade organized appears probable. 
At present the only information of importance available from a dis- 
trict comes from the Pakokku Chin Hills. The valuable report dated 29th 
August 1900 on the subject of lac cultivation and collection by the 
Assistant Superintendent is given in full below : — 
“ The lac industry in these hills is most important and should be en- 
couraged by every means. Last year from one set of villages alone 
more than 10,000 viss of lac was exported and large amoimts were ex- 
ported from other parts of the hills. 
“ The lac here is usually picked ofi the trees about the end of 
October and sold to local merchants at the foot of the hills at Rl per 
3 viss if undried, Rl per 2 viss dried. 
“ I have arranged to obtain samples of the lac as gathered from 
three different trees, and also a sample of the lac after swarming. I 
should like to have further information regarding the times of swarm- 
ing of the larvae and the winged males. 
“ The local merchants will only buy the coloured lac from the 
producers, and until the demand for the colourless lac is formed it is 
hopeless to expect the people to change their method of collecting it. 
The local market can only be taught by the requirements of the big 
