1876.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



115 



iORESTRY. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



THE GROWTH OF THE CORK TREE IN THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



Read before the Germantoivn Horticultural Society 

 by the President, Mr. John Jay Smith. 

 It was a witty reply — and wit keeps for a long 

 time — which Mathews gave when asked if he had 

 «ver been to Cork : " No, but I have seen many 

 ■drawings of it." Our theme at present is not the 

 city of Cork, but the growing of cork trees from 

 acorns. Whether this will become, in the South- 

 em States, a new industry or not, further experi- 

 ■ence only will test ; more probably than not, a 

 cork tree plantation will prove of eqvial if not 

 greater value than a sugar orchard ; the profits 

 from the latter, from Canada to Virginia, are not 

 inconsiderable. 



From official statements it appears that the 

 •value of cork imported into the United States 

 in the year ending June 30, 1874, was $435,909, 

 and in the year ending June 30, 1875, $381,959. 

 No weight is given. Surely here is inducement 

 enough to make us to render ourselves indepen- 

 dent of foreign countries*. The countries which 

 supply us with cork are Spain, principally, and 

 Barbary; we pay in two years, if we calculate the 

 above sums in gold, three-quarters of a million of 

 <3ollars for a useful substance proved, as I shall 

 ahow, to grow successfully in our Southern cli- 

 mate, and where thousands upon thousands of 

 acres are to be bought for a few dollars an acre ! 

 The emancipated slave looks upon to-morrow as 

 futurity, and is happy if he can see his way to 

 the next Saturday. The statesman should look 

 with forecast to the future of our country' ; while 

 he fosters manufactures by high tariffs, he should 

 look to every portion of the products from the 

 land, and encourage new industries. 



About twenty-four years ago this was attempt- 

 ed, as regards acorns of the cork oak. A great 

 flourish was made, and a few bushels of nuts were 

 distributed to cultivators in the South — this by 



• It is said tea culture is at last becoming successful in Geor 

 gia. Why not also cork? 



the Patent Office, there being then no Agricultu- 

 ral Bureau ; the latter came into fashion, and one 

 would have thought the cork acorns would have 

 been looked after. Upon writing to Judge Watts 

 on the subject I received the following letter, and 

 this would seem to be all he knows : 



"Dec. 13, 1875. 

 "Jno. Jay Smith, Esq., Germantown, Philad'a. 



"Sir :— In reply to your letter of the 10th inst. I 

 send you the experiment of J. H. Kion, of Wims- 

 borough, S. C. He says— 'In 1859 I planted 

 acorns of the cork oak sent me from your Depart- 

 ment (meaning, no doubt, the Patent Office). 

 All came up, producing healthy plants. I gave 

 away some, and transplanted others to my back- 

 yard. Those I gave away are doing well where 

 planted, and I now have three flourishing trees. 

 One of them is twenty-three feet high, and 

 twenty-seven inches in circumference. I send 

 you the bark of one, which you see is good cork, 

 three-quarters of an inch thick. 



'The trees are evergreen, resembling some- 

 what the live-oak ; they are of slow growth, and 

 very long-lived. Spain is the home of the cork 

 oak, but the largest tree known grows in Eng- 

 land. Besides the cork, this tree produces enor- 

 mous acorns, which are fine food for stock, and 

 when roasted are much relished by the Spaniards. 

 Spanish Black is simply the charred bark of this 

 tree. There is no reason why this tree may not 

 be profitably grown in any part of the United 

 States'." 



(The writer should have said in any part where 

 the live-oak will flourish. It would not succeed 

 at the North. He could have added that the 

 mast gives a peculiar and delicate taste to the 

 lard of hogs fed upon it.) 



I had said to Judge Watts that two trees at 

 least were in flourishing health at Orangeburgh, 

 S. C, and he asks : " The Department would like 

 to hear further of the success of the two trees in 

 Orangeburgh, S. C, that you mentioned in your 

 letter. Respectfully, 



"Fred'k Watts, Commissioner." 



Accordingly I forwarded to the Department 

 the following copy of a letter from Judge Thomas 



