Part. I. ] 
Steering : Note on the Lac Insect. 
63 
trees of maunds 5-25 per hundred trees, and from the larger species of 
maunds 27-32, which, if valued at Rl5 and R20 per maund, respect- 
ively, will be worth R84-6 for the former and R.541 for the latter. 
Take from these sums the cost of producing the article, which in future 
will be, if anything, less than heretofore, owing to the lac being obtained 
in one spot and the net profits on 100 trees of Palas will equal R81 
and on the same number of Kusum R.526. Large areas of forests are 
now available on which the number of Palas and other suitable trees per 
acre quite equal or even excel the above unit, and the expediency of 
forming plantations of Kusum, which area for area would yield a more 
valuable crop, is under consideration.” 
Mr. McKee gives a list of seventeen trees as those on which the lac is 
generally found. These have been included in the list given in Chapter 
V, which represents the food plants of the whole of India. 
Mr. McKee then remarks: — “ Of the above trees the light golden resin 
obtained from the Kusum is the finest, as from it the most valuable 
orange shellac is manufactured, and next in quality is that obtained from 
the Palas, which yields the garnet-lac of commerce. Wherever possible, 
therefore, the Kusum tree should be chosen for standards ; but as the 
Palas is generally found in much greater numbers, area for area, its pro- 
duce will nearly compensate in quantity for the reduction in its value. 
Having selected the forest for experiment, the next point to fix on is the 
local date on which the insects leave the parent cells, a step of great 
importance, and one on which the first success of the plantation will 
very greatly depend, as, should the work of gathering brood-lac 
be delayed until visual proof of the exit of larvae is obtained, a vast quan- 
tity will be killed in the operations of collection, transport, and of tying 
the incrusted twigs on the standard selected for nurseries.” The date 
of evolution having been fixed on with some certainty Mr. McKee 
describes the procedure necessary to put the brood-lac upon the trees 
which has already been discussed. On this subject he continues: — “ When 
attaching twigs it appears necessary to take care that the wood of the 
standard is not of denser composition than the wood of the tree from 
which the brood-lac is gathered, as it is believed that the larvae reared 
on soft- wooded trees are comparatively weaker than those which are found 
on species of harder texture. There is an idea prevalent among the 
Gonds that nursery standards must be prepared with brood-lac taken 
from the same species as themselves ; but this has been proved to be in- 
correct. The brood-lac yielded by the Kusum, a very hard- wooded 
