652 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The manufacture of all these various articles naturally involves 

 the production of considerable quantities of cork-clippings ; these, to- 

 gether with the waste incurred in gathering the crop, and with old 

 cast-away corks, constitute the raw material with wdiich a number of 

 important industries are fed. The coarser chips are sought for as 

 packing material for fragile articles, in which their elasticity gives 

 them a peculiar value. The finer particles constitute suberine pow- 

 ders, the balsamic properties of which are well known to hygienists. 

 In treating the rashes of new-born children, they take the place of 

 lycopodium and starch-powders. An insecticide, w T hich is offered under 

 the name of Zifa powder, is composed of cork mixed with phenol. 

 Fire-kindlings have been made of cork-powder, but they do not seem 

 to have given any grand results. The most important application 

 which has been made of cork-refuse is in the manufacture of linoleum. 

 For this fabric, cork-powder is mixed with oxidated linseed-oil. The 

 resultant paste is then spread upon cloth if a carpeting is to be 

 made, or on paper, if hangings are in view. The color, which is a 

 little darker than that of cork, may be enlivened by colored designs. 

 Applied to moist walls as a foundation, or in hangings, linoleum will 

 receive more substantial paintings than wood which warps, or plaster, 

 or other materials, which are liable to crack. Ceilings may be made 

 from it, which can be washed whenever they become soiled or smoked. 

 "When used for carpets, linoleum makes the floors quite insonorous, 

 and transforms damp and unhealthy rooms into warm and salubrious 

 habitations. It has the advantage, for kitchens and offices, of not 

 being stained by grease. A new decorative product, lino-burgau, is 

 obtained by fluting linoleum, and by the application of colored var- 

 nishes and the metalization of some parts giving beautiful iridescent 

 effects. 



A composition of coarse powder of cork and milk of lime, pressed 

 into bricks or tiles, forms an excellent material for the construction 

 of conduits, the lining of damp walls, and for roofs. Lining of 

 the cellars of breweries with these tiles diminishes the meltincr of 

 the ice ; in gunpowder-factories it prevents the deterioration of the 

 powder by damp, and, by virtue of its levity and friability, helps 

 to decrease the damage in case of explosion. Fmployed as pugging 

 for floors, they destroy the disagreeable resonance. In the spin- 

 neries of Alsace and Eastern France, the bricks have proved effective 

 to resist the passage of sound, of heat and cold, and are economical 

 withal. 



When distilled in a close vessel, chips and waste of cork give off an 

 illuminating gas, which is capable of shedding a brighter light than 

 coal-gas, and is free from the sulphurous emanations which are so ob- 

 jectionable in that illuminant. When tried for lighting the city of 

 Nerac, the difficulty of providing storage for the immense bulk of 

 chips, needed to furnish the required amount of gas, proved so for- 



