Indian Forest Records . 
28 
[Vol. VIII 
of much practical importance, though sona phunkim&ybc expected 
to be freer of dye than gada phunku 
In its primitive stages the industry involved no artificial measures 
Existing methods of culti- cultivation and consisted merely in 
vatioru collecting what lac grew wild and trusting 
to Nature to arrange for subsequent crops. What actually happened 
was that some small quantity of lac was left on the trees ; and by 
rapid reproduction in a few years’ time, sufficient insects matured to 
give another fair-sized crop. This method is still common in Burma 
and in areas where lac occurs spasmodically, but is not now of sqffi- 
cient importance to merit more than passing reference. 
The modern method, common all over the lac-growing areas, is 
to leave untouched the upper one-sixth or one-third of the crop when 
the lac is harvested. Unfortunately, however, when the larvae emerge 
on the upper branches, the lower branches are bare of all leaves and 
succulent shoots, which were broken off in collecting the bulk of the 
crop for the market; and, moreover, the vigour of the tree has been 
reduced by the recent crop. The result is that the emerging larvae 
find few suitable places for attachment and the greater number die. 
At the next swarming season there will be, on the top one-third of the 
tree, a small but not a very healthy brood, as the tree will be lacking 
in vigour and the sap will be scanty and poor. The lower two-thirds 
of the tree will show a few sickly, thin, pollard shoots. This brood 
also, on emergence, will occupy any suitable spots on the top branches, 
but the majority will fall on or through the pollard shoots below, where 
only comparatively few will succeed in attaching themselves. 
A better method is now practised in parts of Manbhum, Ranchi 
and other Chota Nagpur districts and is extending into the Central 
Provinces. It is more common on Ber trees growing round home¬ 
steads than in the forest. The greater part of the lac is cut ari } but a 
proportion of the trees, often one-tenth, is reserved for brood-lac, 
and when the larvae are ready to emerge the lac is removed and 
attached to trees which were not infected during the previous season. 
This is an excellent method in theory, but is very rarely properly 
carried out. The maximum secretion of lac is not attained until about 
a month before the swarming period and the cultivator is tempted to 
collect as much as possible, as early as possible, with a view to shorten 
the labour of watching the trees and minimize the risk of theft; or else 
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