Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-30
CORK AND ITS USES.
How the Bark Grows, is Gathered and is
Manufactured.

How the Bark Grows, is Gathered and Is
Manufactured.
Cork is . material that has great many
more uses than most people imagine. In
Spain it is employed for making bee hives,
kitchen pals, pillows and window lights.
Fences for poultry yards and roofing for
houses are made out of it in Portugal In
Italy images and crosses are carved from it and
foot paths are paved with it. 1t is utilized in
Turkey In the construction of cabins for the
cork gatherers and of collins for the dead. In
Morocco it is employed for the manufacture
OF drinking vessels, plates, tubs and house
conduits. However, it is in Algeria that this
peculiar bark serves the greatest number of
purposes, being made into shoes, wearing
apparel, horse shoes, boats, furniture, door
steps and thousand other things
Algeria is the greatest cork-producing coun-
try in the world, having $500, 600 acres of cork
forests, of which 300 900 acres arc made to yield
regular crops. The finest cork is obtained
from that province, where the climate is very
favorable to its growth. the best quality being
that which Is most compact in texture and free
from pores. Ordinarily the outer bark of trees
consists of a soft cellular tissue inwardly and
hard woody tissue outwardiy. ii the growth of
the former layer be prolonged and rapid 1t
mon oak and some elms In one species of
oak this peculiarly is developed to an extra
ordinary degree and its bark IS the cork of COM
merce. The tree IN question is native to all
the region about the Mediterranean.
IN SOUTHERN EUROPE.
Cork trees are largely planted in southern
Europe. the usual method being to SOW the
acorns, which are very good to eat resembling
chestnuts in flavor. The biggest and sweetest
seeds are selected for the purpose, because
they produce the best trees. In Mississippi and
other southern states of the Union cork trees
have been planted extensively within the last
few years. At fifteen or twenty years of age
they are ready to yield their first crop and at
intervals OF eight or ten years the .'barking"
may be repeated, the product being OF better
quality each time. The trees do not suffer any
injury from being stripped of their coats: on
the contrary, the process appears to be bene-
fetal.
Small axes are used for the purpose. with
nandIes hattehed at the end to the shape of IA
wedge. With such an instrument cut is made
through the outer bark, encirclipg the tree
near the ground, and another cut is made
parallel to 1t just under the first branches
These are united by vertical cuts, dividing the
Dark on the tree into long planks. Each plank
is loosened from the trunk by tapping it
smartiy with the fiat of the AK the wedge
shaped handle of which is then used to pry il
off, Care Ia taken not to cut into the inner
bark, to wound which would destroy the life of
the tree. The thickness of the cork layer ia
from one to three inches.
The fresh cut ''planks' are somewhat
convex. OF course, having the shape of
the tree trunk. To fatien them they are
placed IN front Of fire and left until the heat has
removed the warp; or sometimes, for the same
purpose. they are piled in trenches. wetted
and weighted with heavy bouiders. The outer
woody coat OF bark having been removed the
10 fhnU ILL.,. 4
in the sun and then tied up in bundles for mar
ket. Among the uses to which the material is put.
beside those which have been mentioned, are
for making life preservers. artificial limbs and
spanish black" in the manufacture of which
last substance it is burned. In the Shape of
dust 1t is employed as a substitute for rice
powder IN the toilet The waste from cut
ting cork is utilized for lining ice houses, being
an admirable non-conductor, also for making
pastehoard and for packing grapeA
CORK CUTTING.
However, by far the most important use for
the bark is in the manufacture of corks for
bottles The finest of these are cut by hand
Wine corks are Gu. with the gram, while bupps
are out against It. In the duchy of Olden-
burg, IN Germany, more hands are employed
In the industry OF cork cutting than in anv
other country in the world. The work is done
by whole families at their homes, after the
fashlOn OF tenement house cigars. Owing to
the spongy nature of the material the knives
employed III the process have to be extremely
keen and require fresh sharpening after the
cutting OF every few corks. For a long time il
was thought impossible to utilize machinery
Tor the purpose, because OF the quickness with
which the edge of the cutter was dulled and
also for the reason that the cork could
be more economically manipulated by hand.
Nevertheless, machines have been devised
which do the work very fairly the knives being
kept to a razor edge by passing over revolving
disks OF solid emery. Ingenious mechanism
has been invented for slicing cork into thin
sheets for hat and helmet Innings and for shoe
soles, tho cutting being done by circular steel
knife revolving rapidly.