Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-08-30
JAPANESE LACQUER.
A Small Tree, the Juice of which Mai
q Capital Varnish.

A
q Capital Varnish.
A very interesting experiment has re-
Gently been recorded as having been
conducted at Frankfort by Prof Rein
of Bonn, so well known for his spler.
didly illustrated work on Japanese arts
One of the principal of these arts is that
of lacquering, in which no other nation
can excel the Japanese. The art is one
of great antiquity, and the old example:
are very costly. The lacvuer, unlike
the European varnishes and polishes
which are compound substances, con
sists of the juice of a small tree known
to botanists as Rhus vernicifera, anG
this juice is drawn from the trunks by
making missions in them, from which
it flows into bamboo pots placed to re-
ceive it. The juices of this and al
other species of Rhus are extremely
acrid and poisonous, blistering the skin
severely if allowed to come in contact
with it. Consequently the Japanese
collectors use thick gloves to cover the
hands during the process Of collecting.
After the crude juice has been drawn
from the tree it is prepared in different
ways by the Japanese experts, and the
process of applying it to wood or metal
work is very tedious one, and one
which can only be properly effected by
a native artist. The modern lacquer
ware of Japan, however, is totally
different article from that of one hun
dred and fifty or even one hundred
years ago. There is at present great
demand in the European markets for
cheap lacquered articles, in consequence
of which they have to be produced
lIyo nd 1.a1 hot
very inferior article is produced, both
in design and finish. Nevertheless, the
process of lacquering has never been
mastered by Europeans.
1t has been tried by practical yarnish-
makers in this country, but always
without success, and it is now thought
by Prof. Rein that if the trees could be
established in Eu rope and the juice
freshly drawn from the trunks some OF
theditficulties of its manipulation might
be overcome. Considering that several
species of Rhus are hardy plants in our
strawberries, there is, perhaps, no rea-
son why Rhus vernicifera should not be
included among them. Indeed, this
question seems set at rest by the fact
that number of healthy trees, some
thirty feet high, are now fiourishing at
Frankfort, tho trees originally planted
there having produced seed, from which
other trees have been raised.
The next question seemed to be
whether the changed conditions OF
growth and climate would in any way
affect the nature or CO IMPOSITION of the
| juice, and to prove this some of the
trees at Frankfort have been tapped
| and the juice sent to Japan to be ex
| perimented with by the native artists
Besides this the native and European
| juices have been analysed by German
chemists, upon whose reports, coupled
with those of the Japanese artists, it is
| expected the fate of lacquering as al
industry in Europe will stand or fall
If the reports on the quality of the juice
from Japan be favorable it is proposed
to plant the tree largely and bring ovel
| some expert workers from Japan to teach
their peculiar art to European students
| There is, however, another use t.
| which the Japanese lacquer tree nigh
be put should it prove to take so kindly
| to European soil as to produce its fruit.
| abundantly. These individual fruit!
| are small-not much larger than a pea
| but somewhat flattened-and are borne
in punches or clusters. They are GOV
cred with a thin, light brown, shiny
skin, under which and Immediately sur
rounding the seed is a deposit of whit
wax, which forms, with that of an al
lied species (Rhus succedanea), tn,
| product known as Japan wax, which il
nsed by the Japanese for making can
dies and is also exported in large guam
titles to China and to this country t.
some extent for Il similar purpose, as wei
| as for making wax matcheS.-Industrics