10 Indian Forest Records . [Vol. VII 
are said to add to the durability of the timber, and to render it immune 
against the attacks of white-ants. It is also largely used for caulking 
boats and wooden vessels intended for the storage of water. The Shans 
very often use vessels woven of fine strips of bamboo for the carriage 
and storage of water, and two or more thick coats of Thitsi applied to 
these both inside and outside render them perfectly watertight. If 
carefully used these vessels last for several years, especially if they are 
given a fresh coat of Thitsi once or twice a year. 
Whenever any surface is to be gilded with gold-leaf, one or more 
coats of Thitsi invariably are applied to it before the gilding is under¬ 
taken. 
Thitsi also is used largely in connection with the Lacquer industry 
which is carried on chiefly in the Kengtung and Laihka States and, in 
a smaller measure, in some of the other States in the Southern Shan 
States. 
Probably the greater part of the Thitsi collected in the Southern 
Shan States, however, is exported to Burma, chiefly to Pagan and 
Mandalay—the important centres of the Burmese Lacquer industry. 
9. Measures adopted in the past to regulate tapping. 
Except in the case of the Panlaung Reserve—a Reserve of 112 square 
miles situated in the Ywangan State of the Myelat—in which the right 
to tap Thitsi for sale was granted at the time of settlement to 3 villages 
comprising 75 households, no licenses nor permits to tap Thitsi in Reserves 
have been issued in the Southern Shan States Division, at any rate 
during the past six years. The permits which have perforce had to 
be issued in the case of bond fide right-holders have laid down, among 
other things, the areas in which the tapping was to be done,’the minimum 
size of the trees to be tapped, and the maximum number of notches 
to be made per year on a tree. 
The main reason for not issuing licenses or permits to others than 
bona fide right-holders to tap Thitsi in Reserves is attributed to the 
fact that previous to reservation all Thitsi -bearing areas contained 
in existing Reserves had been subject to heavy, and more often than 
not, excessive tapping, and the trees require rest to recover. It is 
significant that the matter of excessive tapping should have attracted 
the attention of the Forest Settlement Officer—an Assistant Superin¬ 
tendent of wide experience in the Southern Shan States, and more 
especially in the parts to which this article relates—during the settle¬ 
ment of the Zawgyi Reserve—a Reserve of some 730 square miles con¬ 
tained chiefly in the Lawksawk State, and Maw State of the Myelat. 
[ 84 ] 
