Below the lac-hearing trees there is always a very considerable quantity of the resin in small particles, width have been detached by the wind shaking and chafing the branches; this also is collected, and constitutes the seed par of mer chants. The name of seed be is also applied to the resin after it has been freed from coloring matter and is ready to be fused. See "Lac In: tlustry of in Journal of file Society of Pine- A rts, February 8, 1901.
The water in which the stick lac is first soft ened contains, as before mentioned, the coloring matter of the dead insect. This is strained and evaporated until the residue is a purple sedi rhmt, which, when sufficiently dried. is cut in small cakes about two inches square, and stamped with certain trade-marks, indicating its quality. These are then fully dried, and packed for sale as bar dye.
Another method of separating the resin from the dye consists in passing the twigs through crushing rollers. The powdered matter, mixed with water, is put into a stirring cylinder, where Teti loon"; and coloring matters are separated. The coloring matter is precipitated from the water by the addition of lime. The water is then drawn oil' and the preeipitate strained and pressed into cakes which are dried in the sun. The resin is fused in closed by steam heat, drawn off into a shallow trough, and then spread on hollow zinc columns, filled with water, which extend from the trough at an angle of 45 de grees. the shellac rapidly congeals. assum ing a leather-like texture. 1\ bile still hot it is removed, and after drying and cooling is ready to be pa:•ked and shipped.
The shellac of eommeree varies in appearance, according to the thoroughness with which it was separated from the coloring matter, from a dark red-brown, called ruby shellac, to a pale gold, ealled blonde shellar. White .shellac is shellac
which has been bleached with ehlorine. The process is a delicate one, and the product is likely to deteriorate.
The great value of the Ines is found in their adaptability for the manufacture of varnishes, both in •onsequenee of their easy solubility and also because of the fine, hard coaling. susceptible of high polish, which they give when dry.
All the varieties of lac arc translucent, and some of the liner kinds, which are in (lakes not much thicker writing.pape•, are quite trans parent. If a quantity of shellac be softened by heal, it may, by continually drawing it out into lengths, and twisting it, be made not only quite white, but also opaque; in this state it has a beautiful silky lustre, and if incited and mixed vermilion, or any other coloring matter, nt forms some of the fancy kinds of sealing-wax. The more usual kinds are, however, made by merely melting shellac With a little turpentine and camphor, and mixing the coloring matter. Shellac has the property of being less brittle after the first melting than after subsequent meltings; hence the sealing-wax manufactured in India has always had a high reputation. and hence also the extreme beauty and durability of those Chinese works of art ill lac, some of which are very ancient. These arc usually chow chow boxes, tea-b•sins, or otlwr small objects made in wood or metal, and covered over with a crust of lac, colored with vermilion, which, while soft, is molded into beautiful patterns. in India lac is used as a coating for wooden toys, and many articles of personal adornment are made from it. It is also used as a cement and by gold smiths as a filling for hollow ornaments.