ii 7 
Part I] Lindsay and Hardow : Lac and Shellac 
the Pakaur lac is grown in the Pakaur sub-division but extends also 
into the Rajmahaland Dumka sub-divisions. The principal—almost 
the only—tree on which it is grown is Ber, and local trade recognizes 
three qualities according to soil:— 
1st quality Pahari lac grown on the hills. 
2nd quality Bagri lac grown on black cotton soil. 
3rd quality Rahi lac grown on Laterite. 
These varieties are purely local and the differences are slight. 
An interesting local report is that Pahari lac is not allowed to repro¬ 
duce itself but is always grown from Bagri brood ; this requires con¬ 
firmation. Lac is generally cultivated in homestead lands, on trees 
apparently planted originally for the sake of their fruit. The system 
is to retain one tree in ten for brood and to collect the balance as ari 
lac. The land is all under zamindari settlement and for the purposes 
of the Tenancy Act in the Sonthal Parganas lac has been defined as 
a fruit, so that tenants are entitled to its free use within their hold¬ 
ings. For other trees zamindars collect revenue by trees (2 or 4 
annas per tree) or by area, but custom varies greatly. In the settle¬ 
ment of 1912, the rights of zamindars to collect this revenue were 
registered, and many trees were cut down by the .tenants in an 
attempt to destroy landlords’ rights over them. Ber coppices well, 
however, so that there has been no permanent loss. 
Cultivation by tenants is often financed by the local merchants 
(mahajans) and the raiyats are frequently heavily indebted on this 
account, particularly the Paharias, who always grow their lac from 
imported brood. 
Pakaur is the principal market and in a goodiyear about 75,000 
maunds of Baisakhi and 20,000 maunds of Katki pass through, but 
probably three-quarters of this amount is brought in from outside the 
district, mainly from Murshidabad and Malda, but also from Purnea 
and other districts north of the Ganges. A small quantity is also 
brought in from Nepal State (from near Biratnagar). Subsidiary 
markets are Hiranpur, Litipara, Amrapara, Kotalpakaur in the 
Sonthal Parganas and Jangipur, Dhulian, and Berhampur in Bengal. 
The principal dealers and buyers in Pakaur are :— 
Hiralal Jabulal. 
Thakur Pd. Kalicharan. 
