The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-07-12
VAST CORK FORESTS,
THOSE OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL
ARE IMMENSE IN AREA.
HOW the Pliable Bark Is Stripped
From the Trees. Boiled. Scraped
and Cut Into Shnpe-Thousands EN-
plOyed In the Industry.

The cork forests of Spain cover an area
Of $4,000 square miles. producing the
finest cork in the world. These forests
exist in groups and cover wide belts of
territory. those in the region of Catalonia
and part of Barcelona being considered
the first in Importance Although the
cork forests Of Estremadura and Anda-
lusia yield cork of a much quicker growth
and possessing some excellent qualities
its consistency is less rigid, and on this
account il does not enjoy the high repu-
tation which the cork of Catalonia does.
In Spain and Portugal, whore the cork
tree, or Quercas suher, is indigenous. it
attains To a height varying from 81 to 60
feet and the trunk to diameter of 80 to
80 inches. This species of the evergreen
oak is often heavily caparisoncd with
wide spreading branches, clothed with
ovatc ohloug evergreen leaves, downy I'M
dcrneaih and the leaves slightly Scrrated.
Annually, between April and May. it
produces flower Of yellowish color.
succeeded hy the acorns. Over 10000
square miles in Portugal are devoted to
the cultivation of cork trees. though the
tree virtually abounds in every part of
the country
The m.rbods in ,o,,,o IN borr-ir,, o,a
harvesting the corl, in Sn9i, and Portn.
cal are yirtuallv tho Same ma horl.;n,,
operation is effected whom tbo trcn bas
ACQUIRED sufficient strenotb to vithstond
the rough h,r,l.in., II ro,oi,.os d,,,ir,, tIis
oprration. which, to,ns nIoce whom i ms
attained the 6ff,.utb va,,. of ;ts ,,r,,,.,b
After thc frst strinnip,, tho troo i. loft
in this iuvcncscert state ~ ro..onoro+o
SUBSEQUENT strjprinrs beinr rffactoJ ot
intervals Of moi loss tban thrno voors
and under This trocass tho trnn viii cnp,
tinuc to thrive and hear for inward of
$50 wears.
The bark is strinpcJ from tbn trea in
pieces two or tbren inabo. in tbicI.ros,
of considerable lnn.,tb ond of eucb u.iltb
as 10 retain tbe curved fo,rn of tbo trnni.
whence it has been strinnnd Tho h,rl,
peelcr or cutter makes n sir in tho borl,
with knife pcrpondicnlarIv from tho rom
of the trunk to the hottom. no nol,os an
other ucision parallel ia and nj some lis
lance from the former md t,vo short hori.
zontaI cuts nj tho TON and hottom Enr
stripping off the niece Tins Isolated no
uses kind of knife with two handles ond
a curved blade. Sometimes oftnr Two
cuts have been made no laovos tho trae
to throw off the hork nv snontonn,us oc-
ton Of the vegetation within tho trunk
The first process throuph which tho
bark passes after strinpip.r is that of boiI.
ing. This is sometimes done in rho
woods. but more freouentlv in the corl,
factory. in large snecial}v constructed
cadrons in which the bark is lcft 70 hoil
for inward of nm hour causing nm in
crease of thickness leenarolIv of ono
fourth 10 one-ffth eIasfi.itv Of tho corl,
and dissolution OF the rannin and otber
substances. The boiling az tho cork can
also be effected NV steam for which MIR.
pose it is introduced into a wooden box
lined with conner or zirr which is 6llod
with water and steam injected therein
The loss of weight effected bv boiling the
cork varies between 70 and 40 nor cent
In making corks il is necessary to take
away the hard crust or rasna. for which
a tool is used with short handle and
curved blade. SCREAMING machines arc
also used. two systems being emnloved-
the Besson and Tousseau The former
propelled by steam. consists nrincinoIlv
of horizontal spindes supplied with comb
like teeth and turning at the rate Of 900
revolutions minute. The Tousseau
scraper attacks the cork bv means Of n
vertical iron shaft carving several knives
whose edges are also vertical. and by n
rotary movement of the shaft. giving
400 turns a minute work like a brush
Before cutting the slabs into strips
they are cooked for about half an hour so