Part 1. J 
Stebbinr : Note on the Lac Insect. 
76 
from manufacturers being very rife as to the mutilated and dirty con- 
dition in which the material arrives at the factories. 
In Rewah, the Butea frondosa is the chief lac tree and this has been 
placed on a footing similar to that of the Sandal in Mysore. In the 
neighbouring small State of Nagode, which is under British supervision, 
things are on a better basis. The cultivation in this State is done by 
voluntary workers in selected patches of Butea frondosa, no restrictions 
being imposed on the cutting of the tree in the fields. The revenue 
obtained on these lines is yearly increasing and the introduction of and 
cultivation of lac in other Native States upon these lines is recommended 
as a profitable industry. 
CHAPTER XIV. 
INDUSTRIAL USES OF LAC. 
The best lac is obtained from the Schleichera trijuga. This is a 
light golden resin known in the trade as nagali and from it the most 
valuable orange shellac is made. The next best comes from the Butea 
frondosa and is kno’wn as baisakhi or katki according to the month (Bai- 
sakh or Katik) in which it is gathered. It is darker in colour than the 
nagali and the shellac is in consequence less clear and bright. These 
are almost the only varieties used by European farms. The native 
factories, most of which turn out a very inferior article, utilize the pro- 
duce of almost every tree on which the lac-insect is found. The best 
nagali comes from Sambalpur and Raipur, in the Central Provinces, 
and from the neighbourhood of Hazaribagh and Palamau, in Bengal. 
The latter places also give the best baisakhi and katki, but these varieties 
are to be found in many parts of the country. 
This monograph is not concerned with the various uses to which lac 
is put after it has left the manufacturers’ hands. It has been men- 
tioned that shellac has assumed a vastly increased importance in the 
world owing to the great demand which exists for it outside India in 
electrical work and in the manufacture of gramophone records. It is 
also extensively used as a varnish and polish for furniture and metal ; 
as a stiffening material for hats and as an ingredient in lithographic ink 
and as sealing-wax. 
In India lac enters very largely into the agricultural, commercial, 
artistic, manufacturing, and domestic operations of the people. Large 
