Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-16
STICK-LAC AND SHELL-LAC.

A VALUABLE PRODUCT WHICH MIGHT BE Fra.
WISHED BY INSECTS IL THIS COUNTRY.
Several kinds OF plants have recently been
discovered in the United States which arc in
Tested by lac insects, notably the ''stinkweed"
and q certain variety OF acacia. Those -four
ish abundantly from southern Utah 10 northern
Mexico and from the Colorade desert to western
Texas. There is no reason, SO a STAR reporter
is informed, why these valuable bugs should
not be gathered and put to very profitable use.
1t is even asserted THAI. with care and cultiva-
tion, the production Of them could be rendered
so large as TO make America independent of
foreign supplies. Artificial propagation IL re-
sorted to abroad. although the bulk Of
the product is gathered from the jun
giles. Its employment is most familiar in tie
lacquered manufactured In the cast
though IL Is utilized for MANY other PURPOSES
notably in the composition OF sealing wax.
The lac OF commerce Is a resinous incrus-
tation formed by insects on the bark of the
twigs and branches of certain kinds OF trees.
Its color varies from deep red to bright orange
and it is brittle and crystalline Ii is formed
by the female insects for the purpose of pro-
tecting their progeny. As soon each enc
has covered herself with the secretion, which
serves as a sort of cocoon. she laws her eggs aud
dies. The young. upon being Matched. make
their way out through the cras. and seek green
and juicy spots on the bark, inserting their
probosces and beginning to feed at once. They
never wander from the branch where they
first came into being. The latter. after Afford
ing hourishment TO millions. finally wlthers
and dies. Thus the extinction of the lac-Inak-
ing species would soon come about were IL not
for the fact that birds and other insects carry
them about, planting new colonies In fresh
places.
The lac insects are most plentiful in India,
but they are also found in Siam. Ceylon aud
other countries. Siamese lac is considered the
best Certain provinces of India yield thoa-
sands OF tons OF ''stlck-lac" annually. The
raght Of collecting the lac in some parts 10
rented out by the government to companies,
but the gatherers of lac are mostly Jungle
tribes. They obtain the product IN the wild
forests and sell il TO small dealers who in their
turn dispose OF 1t to big merchants. Much 10
done in the way of propagating the insects
artiicialy in the cehtral provinces OF India
For this purpose nurseries of the proper kinds
OF trees, such the insects naturally feed
upon, are formed At the.right season, when the
larv@ are about TO be Matched, twigs bearing the
incruststions cut in the woods and tied
with bits of grass to the upper branches o; the
trees in the nursery. Tao insects arc thus
transplanted to the nursery trees, where they
rapidly multiply and form the precious lac.
At regular intervals the twigs bearing the lac are
cut off. this process Of pruning encouraging
the development OF fresh twics for insects to
feed upon.
The crude lac on twigs is called ''stick-lac."
In manufacturing 1t the first process il TO strip
the twigs OF the incruststion by passing them
under rollers The wood is rejected and the
separated lac is ground up by rolling into q
coarse powder. In this form it is put into
large tubs haif full OF water, in which il in
stamped and trodden by coolies, who get into
the tubs and do the work with their feet. lhe
wator is changed repeatedly. this performance
being kept up until il comes Of entirely clear.
Then the lac is dried, being now designated az
seed lac, after which it is put into long cot
ton bags. Two men take one of these bags con-
tanning lac by the ends and hold il in Il ont Of
D charcoal furnace, twisting IL the while. The
roasting melts the lee and the twisting causee
it to exude through the cloth and drop into q
trough below. IRON the trough IL Is dipped
put with = wooden spoon and skillfully spread
over metal cylinder IN such a manner that
cooling and hardening immediately, il IL
formed into thin sheets These sheets are the
Ihellsc OF commerce