44 ON THE TRADE IN CORK BARK. 



is stripped from the tree in pieces two inches in thickness, of considerable 

 length. 



The bark-peeler or cutter makes a slit in the bark with a knife, per- 

 pendicularly from the top of the trunk to the bottom ; he makes another 

 incision parallel to it and at some distance from the former, and two shorter 

 horizontal cuts at the top and bottom. For stripping off the piece thus 

 isolated, he uses a kind of knife with two handles and a curved blade . 

 Sometimes, after the cuts have been made, he leaves the tree to throw 

 off the bark by the spontaneous action of the vegetation within the 

 trunk. The detached pieces are soaked in water, and are placed over a 

 fire when nearly diy ; they are, in fact, scorched a little on both sides, 

 and acquire a somewhat more compact texture by this scorching. In 

 order to get rid of the curvature, and bring them flat, they are pressed 

 down with weights while yet hot. 



The charring occasions that peculiar and disagreeable empyreumatic 

 flavour which is so frequently imparted to liquors which have been 

 stopped by cork thus treated. Some years ago an attempt was made to 

 avoid this evil .by using younger cork-bark, the texture of which 

 is not so close as to need the aid of ' fire ; but this bark is too thin 

 for ordinary purposes, and could only be used by cementing two or more 

 layers of it together. The risk of bad flavour was by this means alto- 

 gether avoided, but for some reason or other the plan was not perse- 

 vered in. 



Although the outer bark may be removed without any injury to the 

 tree, the inner bark, which is employed in tanning, cannot be removed 

 without producing the death of the tree. It is not commonly separated 

 for commercial purposes except in Corsica, Spain, and a few other 

 countries, where the tree is indigenous and very abundant. It contains 

 about twice as much tannin as oak bark of average quality. The tannin 

 of cork tree bark appears to bear more resemblance in its properties to 

 that of catechu than to the tannin of most other vegetable matters. 

 Like catechu, cork tree bark scarcely affords any of the light fawn- 

 coloured deposit called bloom, and it is doubtful whether this variety 

 of tannin is susceptible of conversion into gallic acid. The dark 

 colour which cork tree bark always communicates to leather, produced 

 by its means, is the greatest objection to the use of this material. This 

 bark was extensively used for tanning in Ireland some years ago, as 

 much as 8,000 or 10,000 tons having been imported annually for this 

 purpose, cargoes are occasionally received from Rabat and Laroche, 

 ports of Fez, in Barbary, and from Sardinia. That from Leghorn is 

 not considered so good, being less astringent than oak bark. It has 

 long been used by the tanners of Marseilles, being imported from 

 Corsica and other parts of the Mediterranean. In Italy, it is almost 

 exclusively used in tanning sole leather. In the forests belonging to 

 the state lands of Tuscany, nearly 1,000 tons are annually collected. 



