68 
Indian Forest Records. 
[VoL. I. 
still containing the now useless red liquid known as lac-dye. Dr. Hooper’s 
analyses given on page 68 have, however, proved that this dye is still pre- 
sent in the lac, in the pores of the skins of the dead female insects, after 
the larvae have swarmed. The so-called ‘ phunki ’ lac is brood-lac from 
which the young larvae have swarmed. It is collected as soon as the whole 
of the larvae have issued. The term would seem to be open to consider- 
able misapprehension or misinterpretation as Dr. Hooper has shown* 
that so-called ‘ phimki ’ lac examined by him contained a considerable 
amount of red dye. 
(b) Preparation for Sale. 
The twigs and branches on the trees bearing the lac incrustation are 
broken off and sold as they are to the middlemen who take them to the 
factories. In some locahties the incrustation is broken off the branches, 
the latter being left in situ on the tree. Or the branches are broken of! 
and the lac incrustation detached, by hammering with wooden mallets 
and disposed of in this condition. 
(c) Treatment in the Factory. 
In the factory the lac-bearing twigs and branches are broken up into 
short lengths which are termed stick-lac. This is effected by hand or 
machinery. This stick-lac is then crushed either in ordinary grain mills 
worked by manual labour or by rollers driven by machinery. The sub- 
stance obtained is then softened and separated into three different masses 
consisting (1) of fragments of the branches and twigs which are often used 
as fuel ; (2) fine dust which consists of minute fragments of lac and dirt 
which is technically termed Khud ; this is sold to the makers of bangles 
and toys ; and (3) granular lac known by the trade name of seed-lac. 
The seed-lac is washed by being soaked in water for some twenty-four 
hours. The lac cells are then broken up, the seed-lac being reduced to a 
smaller and a more uniform granulation. The water during this process 
becomes a deep purple claret colour. Tlus is the lac-dye which is now a 
waste product. Dming the reduction of the lac ‘ cells ’ to the granular 
form a fine powder is obtained which consists of dirt and minute particles 
of lac. This is dried and sold imder the name of Gand and is utihzed for 
the manufacture of lac bangles. 
Gathering of lac, Indian Trade Journal, IV, 47, page 383. 
