6o 
Indian Forest Records. 
[Vot. VIII 
These vessels are about 2' 6" high and 2' 6" in diameter at the top 
and centre, tapering to the base which is about 1' 6" in diameter. 
The inside surface is rounded and serrated regularly to a depth of 
about one-tenth of an inch. Above each nand, is a horizontal bamboo 
at a height of about 4 ft. from the ground. The unwashed grain-lac 
is put into the nand , covered with water and allowed to stand over¬ 
night. In the morning the washer or Ghasandar (literally “one 
who rubs ”) subjects the lac to about three washing operations known 
as minjao . He stands in the nand y grasps and leans on a horizontal 
bamboo and rubs the lac with his feet against the serrated sides. This 
crushes the lac cells and washes out all the dye. 
After the first minjao the water is allowed to settle. A scum 
(pank), consisting of fibre and cell matter and a small quantity of lac, 
gradually forms; it is removed, dried, winnowed and picked to 
recover as much lac as possible, and then sold to cottage labourers 
who pick it over by hand for further grains. 
After each washing and removal of the scum, the water, which 
contains the lac-dye in suspension and solution, is run off and gene¬ 
rally treated as refuse without value. In some factories, however, 
the water is collected in vats and the dye allowed to settle for some 
time, aided by precipitation with lime. It is then recovered, pressed 
into cakes and sold at a bare profit as commercial dye or rang batti . 
In other cases local field labourers are allowed to remove the dye 
water for use as manure. 
After the third and final washing the grain-lac is taken out of 
the nand , strained through a cloth and washed in a basket with clean 
water to remove the last traces of dye; it is then spread on a cement 
floor to dry. It is now known as clean grain-lac or safa chaori . The 
term seed-lac is frequently used synonymously with grain-lac, but 
as the former term is also used to connote brood-lac, it is advisable 
to speak only of “ grain-lac ” and “ brood-lac” and so to avoid all risk 
of ambiguity. 
The grain-lac is now winnowed in a kula and the following classes 
separated :— 
1. Chaori ... ... ... large grains. 
2. Karola or Kuni ... ... small grains. 
3. Molamma ... ... ... fine grains. 
Chaori or Karola if made from Kusmi or good Baisakhi have 
now a fine golden-yellow colour. Poor Baisakhi and Rangeen lac 
[60] 
