Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-11-27
A NEW iNoUsrHX.
rh~ cultivstion Of Cork to Be 1nsfe'
duced Here.

The Department Of Agriculture u -
soon issue q bulletin on the SUBJECT u
:ork. 1t will advocate the cuiture ~
cork trees In this country, urging tnss
forests Of this species Of oak eouio %
established with great profit In Tue
Southern States. Statistics show tna'
81, 900. 600 of cork II imported into the
United States annually. 1t II steadily
Increasing In value. fetching now
eleven times the prics that was paid
for 1t in 1790. The soil Of CALIFORNIA 10
particularly well adapted to the cork
oak, which grows there with greatet
rapidity than in Europe, Already about
!, 900 of the trees have been planted IN
the San Gabriel valley. The Uuiverslty
of California has distributed esverM
bushels Of the acorus, which, BY the
way, arc very good to eat, tasting Iiks
chestnuts.
The variety of uses to which CORK -
put IL extraordinary. To the Algerian
1t 10 as great q necessity a. the agavs
to the Mexican or palm to the Arao.
From IL he makes boats, furniture, sad
dies, shoes, horseshoes and even cloth
ing. Other emplOyments for the materi-
al in southern Europe are for roofing
pals, clothes, window lights, plates,
tubs, drinking vessels. religious Images,
fences and collins. The waste cork from
the cutting of bottle-stoppers Is utilized
for filling cushions and mattresses and
in the manufacture Of cork-dust bricks.
A very fine kind Of pasteboard Is made
from cork, the substance being mixed
with paper pulp and pressed to squeeze
out the water. Cork waste is also used
for making life-boats, buoys, linoleum,
inner soles for shoes, artificial legs and
arms, "cork corsets," and many other
articles in which lightness and elias
ticity are required.
The ancient Greeks and Romans were
familiar with many Of the uses to
which cork Is put at the present time.
They knew that the cork tree produced
a new bark after the old had been de-
tached. Employments for 1t were re-
stricted, however, until the seventeenth
century, when the development Of glass
manufacture and the widespread use Of
bottles made 1t a necessity. By the end
of the eighteenth century the tree was
largely cultivated; cork forests were
rented, and workshops were establish
ed for the cutting Of cork. The cultiva-
ton Of the cork oak began in Spain and
extended thence into Portugal and
France. There are at present in the
world 3,5O0,OO acres Of cork forests,
more than half Of this area being in
France. Algiers and Tunis. This does
not include the forests Of Morocco
which are still unexplored.
Though Of modern origin, the cork
industry has attained immense import.
ance. In the last half century the pro-
duction has more than doubled. About
SS,OOO,OOO worth Of prepared cork, rep
resenting 5S7 900 hundredweight was
sold last year. Portugal occupies the
first place as producer, while the Uni.
ted States, England and Germany are
the principal consumers. Spain exports
vast quantities of manufactured cork
for bottles. In this industry. as Well
as in the quality Of the product, she sur.
passes all other countries. The world
consumes annually 1000. 100000 cut
corks. The sizes and forms of these are
regulated according to $50 models.
Champagne corks consume the bulk
of the finest cork that reaches the mar
ket. They cost a cent apiece wholesale.
This is because they have to be cut by
hand. Ordinary cork that is intended
to be cut by machinery Is first softened
by steam. SO that it may not take the
edges off the revolving knives. Cork
81 tod 70
mon purposes, but it has lost its elias
ITCHY and oes not make shoppers tight
enough for champagne. The cutting
of cork by hand is a trade requiring
much skill and long experience. The
knives employed are 50 quickly dulled
that they have to be sharpened con.
stantly by the cork cutter as he works.
The great champagne houses often en-.
gage the entire output Of cOrk-cuttins
establishments in Spain and Portugal.
In these countries the business occupies
whole villages. Agents from the fac
tories and export firms Of Seville and
Lisbon go through the villages each
year. buying up enormous quantities
Of cut corks Of all sizes and qualities.
They are sorted in the cities and done
up in bales for expectation.
Corks V. so much in quality that
the price runs all the way from two
cents to IS a gross. Much Of the finest
bark is turned into shoppers for medi.
cine bottles.
Cork trees are raised from seed usual.
ly, the large and sweet acorns produc.
ing the biggest trees and the finest cork
Small and Bitter acorns produce coarse
and inferior trees. The bark product
of full-grown tree is about eighteen
pounds, worth five cents a pound. The
cork of commerce Is not a natural prod.
uct Of the tree, but an abnormal devel.
opment of the bark under certain treat
ment. Natural cork is useless for pur.
poses Of manufacture. being too coarse.
Sometimes 1t Is so woody and dense
that it will not float. The wild cork,
or outer layer Of the natural bark, is re-
moved when the tree reaches q diam.
eter Of six inches or SO, leaving the in.
terror denser and softer cork layer The
latter is called lard" or mother cork"
and from it the cork Of commerce de
velops. While the tree is in sap, there
Is no difficulty in removing the cork.
care being taken not to injure the inner
layer, which, If hurt, would not produce
any more cork in that spot. When the
tree is not more than two feet in cir
conference, q single vertical cut il
made ana the cork is taken of In q sin.
gle piece, called a cannon" From big.
ger trees 1t Is removed in slabs.