Lac

a resinous substance. It is produced chiefly on the twigs of the banyan tree by a scale insect allied to the cochineal insect and to the well known scale insect pests of the orchard. It is therefore a forest product of insect origin. The lac insect punctures the bark of the twig and feeds on the sap, all the while exuding a resin under cover of which it resides, lays its eggs, and dies. The young scramble out and fasten upon tender spots to repeat the history of the parent. In this way the twigs become completely encrusted with lac and are collected by the natives. The encrusted twigs are stick lac; broken from the twig, it is called seed lac; melted into thin plates, it is the shellac of commerce, much used in finishing woodwork. Genuine lac may be molded into tough, lustrous figures of extreme beauty. It is the material used by the Chinese and Japanese in their celebrated lacquer work. Their tea basins, chowchow bowls, and other articles, covered with a layer of lac, colored with vermilion, and molded into beautiful patterns, are veritable gems of art. Lac dye is obtained from the remnants of the insect in the stick lac. India produces about $9,000,000 worth of lac yearly. Half of the output is marketed in the United States. The price varies from $30 to $45 per hundredweight. See Gum; Cochineal; Kauri; Painting