AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
lJeaved and a narrow leaved, which are evergreens; besides 
other varieties which shed their leaves. The broad leaved 
evergreen is, however, the most common, and it is the 
one from which the cork of commerce is chiefly obtained. 
It is mentioned by Theophrastus, Pliny, and some other 
ancient naturalists, as being well known in the days of the 
Greeks and Romans—the latter of whom used it for a va- 
riety of purposes, and among the rest for the stopping of 
- bottles. They used it for floats to their nets and fishing 
tackle; for buoys to their anchors; and when Camillus was 
sent to the Capitol, through the Tiber, during the siege by 
the Gauls, he hada life-preserver of cork under his dress. 
The Cork Oak is indigenous, or at least abundant, in 
Portugal, Spain, part of the south of France, and Italy; on 
the opposite coast of the Mediterranean, and the Levant. 
Spain and Portugal supply the greater portion of the cork 
which is consumed in Europe. The cork is the bark which 
the tree pushes outwards, as is common to all trees; but 
here the outer bark is of larger quantity, and is more spee- 
dily renewed. When removed, there is a Jéder, or inner 
bark, below it, and from this the cork is re-produced in 
the course of a few years—while the tree is said to live 
longer, and grow more vigorously, than if the cork were 
not removed. ‘The first time that the cork is taken off, is 
when the tree is about fifteen years old. That crop is 
thin, hard, full of fissures, and consequently of little value; 
and the second, which is removed about ten years after, 
is also of an inferior quality. After this, the operation is 
repeated once in eight or ten years, the produce being 
greater in quantity, and superior in quality, each succes- 
sive time. According to Duhamel, a cork tree thus bark- 
ed will live a hundred and fifty years. The months of 
July and August are those which are chosen for removing 
the cork. The bark is cleft longitudinally, at certain in- 
tervals, down to the crown of the root, with an axe, of 
which the handle terminates in a wedge; and a circular 
incision is then made from each extremity of the longitu- 
dinal cuts. The bark is then beaten, to detatch it from 
the dber; and it is lifted up by introducing the wedged 
handle, taking care to leave sufficient of the inner lamine 
upon the wood, without which precaution the tree would 
certainly die. The bark being thus removed, it is divided 
into conyenient lengths; and itis then flattened, and slight- 
ly charred, to contract the pores. This substance is the 
rough cork of commerce; and it is thus fit to be cut into 
floats, stoppers, shoe-soles and other articles of domestic 
use, by the manufacturer. The cork of the best quality 
is firm, elastic, and of a slightly red colour. Cork burn- 
ed in vessels of a particular construction gives the sub- 
stance called Spanish black. 
[Lib. Ent. Know. 
211 
ALMOND-TREE. 
Tur Almond-Tree has a considerable resemblance to 
the peach in the form of its leaves, and of its blossoms, 
only the latter are more variable in colour. It is proba- 
ble that the almond is a native of the western parts of Asia. 
The almond is mentioned in the Scriptures as amongst 
the best fruits of the land of Canaan. It is very plentiful 
in China, in most of the eastern countries, and also in Bar- 
bary. In that country it is the most early bearer of all the 
fruit trees. It flowers in January, and gives its fruit in 
April. It does not appear that the Almond-tree, (which 
is now abundantly cultivated for its fruit in Italy, Spain, 
and the south of France,) was so early introduced into 
the first of these countries as the peach, or that its native 
region was so well known, ‘‘ Greek nuts” being the name 
given to almonds at Rome in the time of Cato. 
The fruit of the almond is not so attractive as that of the 
peach; because, instead of presenting the same delicious 
pulp as that, the pericarp of the almond shrivels as the 
fruit ripens; and when the ripening is completed, has be- 
come a horny kind of husk, which opens of its own ac- 
cord. ‘The kernel of some varieties of the almond is not 
defended by so tough a shell as that of the peach and nec- 
tarine; for it is often so tender that the nuts break when 
shaken together. 
In the south of Europe, where the almond is cultivated 
with as much care as the peach is in this country, its va- 
rieties are carefully distinguished. The bitter and the 
sweet are permanently distinct varieties; and after this 
leading character is observed, the variety is further dis- 
tinguished by the form and degree of hardness of the shell. 
For instance, the French have, ‘‘ amandier a coque dure” 
—‘‘amandier a coque demi-dure’’—‘‘ amandier a coque 
tendre.”’ 
In England, Almond-trees are chiefly cultivated for 
the beauty of their early flowers; and for this reason, the 
common kind, and the double-flowering dwarfs, are pre- 
ferred. There is something very charming in the pecu- 
liarity which belongs to this tree, of blossoming on the 
bare branches: 
“ The hope, in dreams, of a happier hour, 
That alights on misery’s brow, 
Springs out of the silvery almond-flower, 
That blooms on a leafless bough.” 
One of the most beautiful tales of the Greek mythology, 
(that of the Loves of Phillis and Demophoon,) is founded 
on this property of the Almond-tree. 
Almond-trees ripen their fruit in England, though the 
produce is very inferior to that which is imported. The 
