IPart I] Lindsay and Harlow: Lac and Shellac 13$ 
to adverse climatic conditions and the ravages of the predatory moth, 
Eublemma amabalis , and averaged only 3^ lbs. per tree. The fates 
seem to have been against the Department throughout though it is 
also likely that, owing to the small size of the special staff entertained, 
the forests were largely at the mercy of lac thieves, who no doubt saw 
to it that the official yield was reduced to a minimum. The lac 
collected was sold by the local officials for Rs. 9-5*9 per 32 seers 
(or Rs. 11-11-2 per standard maund). At that time the Calcutta TN 
rate was Rs. 70 so that Kusum stick-lac at this period would be 
worth about Rs. 55 per maund. The lesson to be learnt is that 
unscrupulous middlemen may succeed in blocking competition at 
sales of Government stick-lac, and that such sales should only be 
held under the personal supervision of officers thoroughly acquainted 
with the market. 
It is obvious that in the Government Forests of Raipur there 
is a very large potential supply of stick-lac which only awaits develop¬ 
ment. The local Forest Department is fully aware of this fact. 
Development will, however, require a well-trained staff and the system 
employed should be that which has proved so effective in Damoh, 
namely, direct departmental exploitation. The previous system was 
satisfactory so long as the cultivators’ interest was retained by large 
profits. When a slump occurred in the market, and they got little 
return for their work, they naturally lost interest and successive crops 
were likely to fail. Had the work been wholly departmental, it would 
have continued, despite low profits, and the industry would have been 
ready for immediate extension as soon as the market recovered. 
When the Forest Department has put the cultivation of lac on a 
secure footing, it will be able to supply brood-lac to outside cultiva¬ 
tors in the neighbourhood. There are some parts of the district in 
the east and south-east which are 40 or 50 miles from the nearest 
forest, and it would be well to start brood farms in these neighbour¬ 
hoods. No suitable places are known at present, but the Kusum tree 
is so common that areas could easily be selected. The big zamindars 
should be encouraged to form brood farms and Government might 
set the example in Kauria (Court of Wards) zamindari. The chief 
difficulties will be proper inspection and management, but with an 
adequate and efficient staff such as the project could well afford to 
maintain, these difficulties could be overcome. 
[13s] 
