New Britain herald., 1927-06-29
:tUllK COMES BACK AS USE INCREASES
GloIds 1le Halrt ind Prepus for Prosperous Futuls

. iah cork producers are lsarning with relief that progress and science often ' find new uses for old products when 7 old uses are passing into the dis card. They saw | marked slump in the demand for bottle stoppers few years ago. especially in America. where the crimped metal cap with only thin lining of cork has be- come the standby of the soft-drink industry. Cork prices dropped and producers saw ruin ahead.
 Now. thanks to the growing use of cork in America in thousands of household refrigerating machines. radio instruments. and electrical de- vices. Spain has had her most pros- porous cork year. The following bull ietin from ths Washington. D. C.. headquarters of the National Geo. graphic Society tells of cork produc-
 Treas "Skinned Alive"
 '"rhe cork industry depends on the peeling of bark from living trees" says the bul tin. "Thc trees arc . species of evergreen oak. They are literally skinned alive yet they have tho valuable ability not only to con- tinue to live, but to set about im- mediately to grow new and better bark.
 Spain is probably the best known source of c.ik. yet 1t is not the greatest cork growing country. Por- tusal with aoproxiI. .ltely . million and . half acres of cork groves has twice the area devoted to cork grow ing by her eastern neighbor. North Africa also is an important factor In the growth of the bark. Algiers has nearly dillon acres in cork oaks and Tunis about quarter mill lion acres. Small quantities are grown also southern France and Italy.
 But in the actual production of cork for the market Spain and Por- tugal lead. These two countries have exported together recently about $1S,00o,000 worth of cork and cork products annually. Of this Spain ships the greater share measured by value, since nearly all Spanish ship ments are of manufactured products, while Portugal exports mostly crude cork. Close to $6,ooo, 900 worth of cork is imported into the United States annually. The other principal users are Great Britain. France and Germany.
 Eight Years Between Harvests
 "There are few crops for which one has to wait longer than for cork. If the best practice is followed. trees are not given their first stripping until they are 20 years old. This first crop h course and practically worthless. It is used chiefly as 8 source of tannin and to make rough bark baskets for ferns. and the like. The owner of cork, oak grove must wait eight or ninesyears after the first stripping for his second harvest of cork. This second crop is better than the first but is still considered of poor quality. There must be an interval of bark growth of eight or nine years between all succeeding harvests.
 Meanwhile, the quality of the cork is steadily improving. If the bark Is removed carefully 50 that the underlying tissue is not injured the trees thrive and continue to pro- duce their harvest until they are 1eO years old or more.
 When the bark comes from the trees 1t is in trough-shaped pieces 1-2 to 2 1-2 inches thick and several feet long. After drying for few days tho pieces are boiled in water and weighted down until they assume . flat shape. These flat slabs are baled and shipped from the country or sent to domestic factories.
 From Cigarette Tips to Floor Covers
 Cork is best known in the form of bottle stoppers. It was used by the Romans to plug wine containers. When glass bottles came into general use during the 18th and 18th cen- turies the cork stopper industry grew to importance. This primary use continues, but many new uses have been added. Today cork is made tn- to floats for fishing nets and lines. and Into washers and insulators for various devices.
 Tt is used in life preservers, re- frigerators, artificial limbs. hat lin- ings, an as inner soles for shoes. Glass Is polished with 1t: cut to pa- per thinness 1t is made into cigarette