20& 



tHE TROPICAL AGUiCiJLTVUmt. (Sei't, i, iSS$. 



a long discuasioii it was decided that no further 

 action need be taken as Gcverument had pledged 

 theniaelves not to iiicreaae their plantations; in the 

 meantime the nieetiug regretted the inability of Gov- 

 ernment to assist us with cheap analyses in experi- 

 ments with C Ledgeriana bark, as such help would 

 only be in accordance with their expressed opinion for 

 theJUaiBOu d'eter "of the plantations. 



CORKS AND OORKAVUOD. 



Thebu exists in ihe art of bottling no more 

 prominent factor than the cork. 



The Portuguese cork is inferior to the French in 

 quality, but superior to the Italiau, being lighter and 

 whiter. Sardinia pro'luces a kind easily distinguished 

 by its color and weight, being pinkish hued, and 

 heavier than many other varieties. It is considered 

 by the Euglish the best variety which can be obtained, 

 but little, if any of it, comes to the United States. 

 In 1861 it was reported that the cork forests of 

 Sardinia and Corsica had been iu a great measure 

 destroyed by improper working ; but this report, like 

 the annual rumored failure of the peach crop in 

 Delaware, seems to have made little difference in the 

 supply. 



France produces the finest grades of cork, especially 

 in Languedoc province and the environs of Bordeaux. 

 The peculiar velvet cork, so esteemed in the bottling 

 of champagne, is the pioduction of those places, and 

 is beoomiug very scarce, it being feared it will, in 

 time, become unobtainable. 



Africa produces hirge quantities of cork, but of an 

 inferior grade, although the soil and climate of its 

 northern countries seems peculiarly favorable to its 

 propagation. This is especially true of Morocco and 

 Algiers. The causes of this are to be found in the 

 uniformly high tt^mperature and profuse nightly dews, 

 while the dry, warm, open hillsides are covered with 

 a sufficiency ef light soil, peculiarly adapted to the 

 growth of the trees, which attain to a large size 

 here than elsewhere. 



There are said to be 2,500,000 acres of cork forests 

 in Algiers alone, of which about 300,000 are utilized. 

 It is said to be capable of producing as much cork 

 as all the rest of the globe, if the inhabitants could 

 but be persuaded to remain peaceable, and give their 

 attentiod to agricultural pursuits. 



In 1859 an attempt was made to introduce the 

 cork oak into the United States, Portuguese acorns 

 being planted, with this end in view, in Wayne County, 

 Miss. All grew, the largest trees, eleven years later, 

 measuring thirteen feet in height, while the trunks 

 had attained a diameter of eleven inches iu thickness 

 the cork bark being more than an inch in thickness. 

 In 1872 the planting of cork trees was attempted in 

 southern California, but with what success does not 

 appear. 



Among the conditions necessary for successful cork 

 culture, climate and soil are of the foremost impor- 

 tance. 



In the Mediterranean basin, where it is indigenous, 

 the tree favors altitudes varying from 1,600 to 3,200 

 feet. It does not flourish beyond 45° north latitude, 

 and the minimum temperature must not be less than 

 55° Fahrenheit. 



It grows best on southerly slopes, which afford a 

 freer circulation of light and air than do flat lands. 

 It requires abundant sandy soil. Plintiug is usually 

 performed from seed ; as a rule the large, sweet 

 acorns developing into the best trees, which j'ield the 

 finest cork, the small, bitter acorns producing trees 

 of a coarse and inferior nature. 



The most approved method of planting, and that 

 which is employed in France, Spain and Portugal 

 appears to be the furrow or " hill" system, which 

 consists in sowing the acorns twenty to forty inches 

 apart, in a furrow between two or more grape-vines, 

 placed at from five to seven feet apart. The sowing 

 and planting are conducted simultaneously, the vines 

 affording the shelter which is so noceasarj- to the 

 cork tree during its early growth. The young trees 

 are tbinued out ae re<juired so as to afford abundance 



of air and light to each. About fifty trees to the 

 acre are recommended by the Frpuch cork producers, 

 and the production is about eighteen pounds to each 

 barking of the tree. 



The distinguishing feature of the cork oak is that 

 the parenchyma forms the mass of the bark, while 

 the contrary is true with nearly all other trees. In 

 the earliest state of its growth it is much more 

 elastic than it ultimately become.", owing to its con- 

 taining in the first instance a large proportion of 

 woody matter. The outer casing of the bark is formed 

 during the first year's growth, and does not subsequently 

 increase ; but the ijarenchyma or inner bark continues 

 to grow as long as the tree is alive. 



In consecjuence of this phenomenon, the pressure 

 of the growing inner bark beoeath, forces the outer 

 shell to split and peel off in flakes. The substance 

 thus shed under natural conditions is known as 

 '* Virgin corks." It is very coarse and of woody 

 texture greatly resembling the bark of the California 

 live oak in appearance. Its uses, from its coarse 

 nature, are very limited. 



The removal of this outer bark from the tree is 

 fortunately when iierformed in a judicious manner, 

 unattended with any evil consequences to the tree ; 

 on the contrary, the operation seems to hasten and 

 assist the growth of the bark, improving its quality, 

 and at the same time the tree grows more vigorous, 

 and attains greater longevity, trees which are regularly 

 barked being known to live to the age of one hundred 

 and fifty years and upwards. 



The age at which the first stripping may be attempted 

 varies with the locality, from fifteen to thirty years, 

 the former being the most general. 



The yield much resembles the naturally shed virgin 

 cork, and is commonly included under the same term. 

 Subsequently the barking is repeated at intervals of 

 eight and ten years, the quality improving on each 

 occasion. The second crop is also still too coarse for 

 any but inferior ns^s.-'—Indepemlfiit Jouri>al. 



The Coffee Ckop-ye.'Vr ix Brazil (says the 

 Bio News, July 3rd,) just closed has shown no very 

 marked features, but, so far as we can learn, has 

 been fairly satisfactory to exporters. The estimates 

 were very close to the actual out-turn, the estimates 

 being from 1,000,000 to 1,2,50,000 bags and our 

 receipts amounting to about 3,890,000. From 

 150,000 to 250,000 are probably carried over. The 

 interruption of traffic on the Cantagallo railway 

 dui-ing the early part of 1886 caused a sharp 

 decrease in our barra dcntro supply, which appar- 

 ently has not since been overtaken. At the end of 

 October a divergency of opinion arose among our 

 brokers as to stocks, the estimates varying to the 

 extent of 50,000 bags. This has since been reduced 

 to about 10,000 bags by deducting local consump- 

 tion, which is estimated to be 6,000 bags per month. 

 As to the crop year upon which we are now 

 entering, the extreme estimates seem to be that 

 the Bio crop will produce from 3,750,000 to 

 4,250,000 bags, the drought in January, it is claimed 

 having reduced the lirst estimates which were 

 very large. We incline to the belief that the larger 

 figures will more nearly approach the truth. As 

 to Sao Paulo, all advices agree in stating that the 

 crop will be very large. The May and June frosts 

 were not general and even allowing for all damage, 

 there are estimates that the crop will be one-half 

 larger than that of 1885-86. The crop of 18S7-88 

 will show greater prejudice from these frosts, but 

 it is, claimed that new plantations are likely to 

 counteract any inobable decrease in the older 

 orchards. In fact, there seems no reason to doubt 

 that Brazil will export the usual average amount in 

 1886-87, which we consider to be very near 6,000.000 

 tags of 60 kilos from Eio and Santos. 



