The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-20
CASH FROM CORK.
Why Import S2,OO0,OOO Worth OF
Bark That Can he Grown HeFes

From the washington Star.
The department Of agriculture will issue
a bulletin before long on the subject OF
cork. It will advocate the culture Of cork
trees in this country, urging that forests
Of this species of oak could be established
with great profit in the southern states.
Statistics show that $2.O00000 worth Of
cork is imported into the United States
annually 1t is steadily increasing in
price that was paid for II in ll9O. The
soil of California is particularly well
adapted to the cork oak which grows
there with greater rapidity than in Eu-
rope. Already about 1000 Of these trees
have been planted in the San Gabriel
valley. The University of California has
distributed several bushels of the acOrns,
which, by the way, are very good to eat,
tasting like chestnuts.
The variety of uses to which cork is put
is extraordinary. To the Algerian it is
a g great a necessity as the agaVe to the
Mexican or the palm to the Arab. From
1t he makes boats, furniture, saddles,
shoes, hOrseshoes and even clothing. 9th
er employments for the material in South
ern Europe are for roofing, pals, clothes,
window lights, plates, tubs drinking yes
sells, religious images, fences and collins.
The waste cork from the cutting OF bot
tie shoppers is utilized for filling cUsh-
ions and mattresses, and in the manu-
facture of cork dust bricks, which are
serViceable where great dryness IS re-
CURED. very fine kind OF pasteDoard
being mixed with water pulp and pressed
to squeeze out the water. Cork waste
is also used for making lifeboats, buoys,
hnoleum, inner soleS for shoes, arunclal
legs and arms, cork concrete and many
other articles in which lightness and
elasticity are required.
Though of modern origin, the cork In
dustry has attained immense Importance.
In the last half century the production
has more than doubled. About $S,OOO000
worth OF prepared CORK, representing 5Si,-
600 hundredWeight, was sold last year.
Portugal occupies the first place as a
producer, while the United States, En-
gland and Germany are the principal con-
sumers. Spain exports vast quantities
of manufactured cork for bottles. In this
industry, as well as in the quality of the
product, she surpasses all other countries.
The world consumes annually 1000, 900 600
cut cOrks. The sizes and forms of these
are regulated according to $50 models.
Nowadays bicycle handles, life preserv-
ers and hat Innings are made of cork. The
material is burned for making Spanish
black" The waste is utilized for lining ice
houses, being. an excellent non-conductor,
and also for packing grapes. Notwitn-
standing all the uses for cork waste that
have been mentioned, great quantities or
it have been thrown away for lack of
purposes to which to apply it. Cork dust
IS made to serve as substitute for rice
powder in the toilet. Tons of cork are
manufactured every year into nose-hold-
ers for eyeglasses. For these the very fin
est quality is required. The inventor of
TINS particular use for cork has made a
big fortune out of the idea. He gets a
royalty. on every pair of eyeglasses thus
made that is sold.
Champagne corks consume the bulk of
the finest cork that reaches the market.
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 thus treated
does well enough for common purposes
but it has lost its elasticity, and does not
make shoppers tight enough for cham
payne. The cutting of cork by hand is a
trade requiring much skill and long ex-
perience. The knives employed are so
quickly dulled that they have to be
sharpened constantly by the cork cutter
houses often engage the entire output of
cork cutting establishments in Spain and
Portugal.
Cork trees are raised from seed US
ually, the large and sweet acorns pro-
ducing the biggest trees and the finest
cork. Small and bitter acorns produce
product Of full grown tree is about
eighteen pounds, worth five cents a
pound. The cork of commerce is not a
natural product of the tree. but an alb
normal development of the bark under
certain treatment. Natural cork is use
less for purposes of manufacture, being
too coarse. Sometimes it is so woody
and dense that ii will not float. The
wild cork or outer layer Of the natural
bark is removed when the trees reaches
a diameter of six inches or so, leaving
the interior denser and softer cork lay
err The latter is called lard" or moth
err cork" and from it the cork of com
merce develops.
The bark is first placed in long, rec
tangular vessels and boiled The boiling
closes the pores, Increases its e1 sticity
and renders it more supple and compact.
Its specific weight is reduced, while It's
volume is almost doubled. Next the
slabs are scraped to remove all the wood
fiber. After this operation they go to
workman who trims them to proper
shape and sorts them into grades suita-
BILE for different purposes.