308 
Indian Forest Records. 
[VoL. 1. 
a])pears, show absolutely no treednm in the choice of artistic orna- 
mentation and in improving, as scientific investigation suggests, 
those rule-of-thumb methods which they have inherited from their 
ancestors. 
There is no doubt that certain varieties of lacquer work, e.g., 
gold ornamentation in relief, are the specialities of the Japanese, 
and in the making of these perhaps no people can successfully 
compete with them on account of the inimitable skill and true 
faithfulness to nature displayed in their production. But there 
seems no reason why the lacquering industry in Burma with a 
natural varnish as fine as that of Japan should not be developed in 
other directions to the same extent as it has in Japan. 
For the purpose it is only required to introduce improved 
methods of preparing the various coloured and gilded varieties of 
file paint. The composition of the varieties, the number of the 
coatings to be applied, the final exact degree of polish, and the 
details of artistic ornamentation are all nice points, too difficult to 
be taught by description. From the taste for art which the Burmese 
possess, it is, however, hoped that they can learn all these with a 
few trials performed with a sufficient amount of skill, care and 
patience. Or if a regular lacquer industry were started in Burma 
or India by some enterprising firm, the services of a skilled Japanese 
lacquerer could be secured for the purpose. 
In conclusion, the attention of the Forest Department may be 
drawn to the ruinous exploitation, as practised by the Burmese at 
])resent, of the trees, on the sap of which the lacquer industry de- 
[)ends. It is recommended that early steps should be taken to con- 
trol the extraction of the sap, and proper attention be given to the 
systematic reproduction of Melanorrhoea Usitata, which yields not 
only a sap of such great economic value, but the timber of which, 
as mentioned in the beginning of this paper, is very valuable. It 
is thus hoped that the products of this species will form an import- 
ant item of revenue to the Forest Department. 
Finally, I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to my friends 
^Ir. B. M. Mukerji and Mr. Mitra, Demonstrators in Physical 
Science at the Thomason College, Roorkee, for the valuable assist- 
ftiic.e rendered in carrying out the combustions in this investigation. 
