Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-05-18

cork. A close growth and lack of light
and air cause diminution of the Weld of
acorns and lessen the quantity as well
rs impair the quality of the cork. !;
During its earlier,years of growth the
cork tree needs some shelter. and the
''belt system of planting seems to
have been very generally adopted in
France and Spain, because for several
years, while the trees are growing slow.
~, the land can be made to. produce n,
much as though they were not present.
The belt system consists in PLANTING
the trees in rows, with one or more
rows of vines between. The acorns- and
the vines are planted at the same time.
the latter in rows seven feet apart and
the former about forty inches one from
another in q furrow between them. The
trees are thinfcd out aftcrward. In this
way the yield of the vines is as GREAT, ne
thought they were planted alone. while
the oaks receive the necessary shade
and cultivation. Until the trees are
from twenty to twenty-five years old
this mixed plantation is profitable.
After this the trees no longer need the
vines, and these, now themselves re-
ceiying too much shade, should be de-
stroyed. These plantations are. cultiya-
ted at the beginning and ut the end of
the rainy season The hoe is used to
stir the earth. hurtful roots and, weeds
being burned, while those that rot
quickly are turned under, that their
ammonia may be utilized as MANURE.
The most favorable season for the
termination of the plant seems to be
that when the acorns fall naturally. In
Spain this takes place in the latter part
of November, The meteorological phe-
nomena of the cork-oak region of Spain
are very Similar TO those Of Southern
! California so that the season of germ
mating would probably he the same
here. The young plant would receive
the benefit of the rain, its roots would
| spread and it would be better fortified
against the heat of the ensuing dry sea-
! son. About the twelfth year the Young
oaks should be pruned every fourth year
| hereafter. After trimming out the trees
there should remain eighty to the acre
| But the tree begins to be of value
when it has attained a diameter of from
| two to four inches when il is from twelve
| to fifteen years old. AT the same time
the first coat of cork removed, and even
| the second, is of no very great value for
| shoppers. The cork should be removed
when the sap is running. Some growers
prefer to take it off when the sap is as
cending; others when it is descending.
Along the coast of Spain the latter part
of June is preferred for this operation,
because then the cork separates readily
from the trunk of the tree The tree is
said to have arrived at maturity when
the cork has market value. After the
| 81 fha L
| tervals of ten or twelve years. Yet. as
cork of thickness sufficient to give
shoppers for champagne bottles is the
most valuable, many growers extend
the period. In this, as in all things
else. experience is the best
guide. Many growers remove the cork
gradually" The first year all below a
height of twelve inches from the ground
is taken off, two years later all above
this and below the branches, and after
another equal period that of the branch
cs. In this way the tree is less exposed
to cold while the new cork forms more
rapidly. Great care is taken not to
wound or remove the inner bark. Aft
er the removal of the cork two, some
times four, longitudinal incisions, reach
| ing to the inner bark, are made under
that portion of the trunk which has
been tapped. This prevents the crack
ing of the outer surface of the new cork
Many persons will be surprised to learn
that the cork oak does not she'd its cork
naturally. Ii not removed the outer
portion of the cork comes off in flakes,
just as the bark of many other trees.
The color of the freshly removed cork
is rosy white, but this tint soon disap-
pears. The cork is stacked in piles
In two months il has lost one-fifth of it's
weight and is ready for market. Strip
pers receive from sixty to seventy cents
for days work. In Spain cork is
worth from one dollar and half to two
dollars the quintal. As the demand for
corks is increasing annually, so the
value ofcork plantations increases from
year to year. Forty years ago in one
of the departments of France the cork
plantations yielded annually net profit
of twelve per cent. on their estimated
value, and this was four times the profit
derived from forests of oak.-G. b.
Griffin, IN los angeles (Cal.) Herald.