654 
CORK AND ITS USES. 
gathering. The season chosen for the cork harvest is usually the month of July or 
August. 
It will he seen by the foregoing that the quality, and consequently the commercial 
value of cork is materially affected by soil, length of time allowed in growing, and 
also of care in collecting. There is as much difference existing in the quality of cork 
as in most other articles of daily use. The finest kind should be compact and firm, but 
at the same time not hard, of an even texture or grain, and of a slightly pinkish tint. 
This kind of cork is generally selected by wine merchants for bottle-corks; while the 
coarser kind, which is always more porous, full of small holes, and perhaps punctured by 
insects, serves for bungs for casks and for the various other applications to which cork is 
put in a cheap form. When cork is required to be thick, it is usually found coarse, as 
it must be allowed a longer period of growth to promote its thickness. The charring or 
singeing process to which this kind of bark is frequently subjected, for the purpose of 
filling up the pores and making it impervious to fluids, has also a detrimental effect, as 
it secretes an empyreumatic oil, which is given off and frequently taken up by the 
liquids it confines; but there is no doubt that care is taken in the selection of these 
corks, and methods adopted for the prevention of this chemical contamination, as much 
as possible. This operation of charring, to which all cork was formerly subjected for 
the purposes we have just mentioned, has been partially succeeded of late by that of 
boiling the cork and afterwards scraping the surface. This is said to improve rather 
than to deteriorate the cork, in being more effectual in filling up the pores. 
The uses of cork are so numerous, and its applications so continually increasing, that 
the supply of late, as we have said before, has not been sufficient to meet the demand. 
It is not om - intention to enumerate all the uses to which this most useful article is put 
—indeed, it would be unnecessary to do so, so well known as they are to all; but there 
are a few modern uses or applications to which cork has been found suited in recent in¬ 
ventions, and which are perhaps among the “ things not generally known but these 
uses chiefly consume waste or refuse cork, such cuttings as were formerly considered of 
no value. 
The new elastic floor-cloth, now so well known as “ Kamptulicon,” is a combination 
of caoutchouc and cork ; and this is but one instance showing that cork, treated with 
other substances, can be made into a really useful article. Cork-dust has been used 
successfully with india-rubber in the process of vulcanizing, and to so fine a powder is it 
reduced for this purpose, that india-rubber so treated is capable of being moulded into 
the most delicate forms. Another recent application of cork is for stuffing beds, and we 
believe this is now done to a large extent. 
A large Cork Company, lately established in London, and owning large forests in 
Portugal, have recently imported the virgin cork into this country, with the impression 
of its becoming useful for rustic garden-work. It is brought in very large pieces, and, 
from its rugged, uneven surface, which is frequently covered with lichens, together with 
its portability and its porous nature, which makes it capable of retaining moisture, will 
no doubt cause it to be used for such purposes. 
Though the bark of the cork-tree contains a considerable amount of tannin, it is not 
in general favour among tanners, on account of its not imparting the required “ bloom 
and for this reason it is seldom used alone, but is mixed with English oak bark. The 
inner bark is that which is used for tanning purposes, the outer bark being quite devoid 
of any of the required properties. The removal of the inner bark causes the death of 
the tree; and it is chiefly from Sardinia and some parts of Spain, where the trees are 
very abundant, that it is imported for this purpose. The quantity of tannin, as well as 
the colour of the bark, varies much, according to the district from whence it is obtained. 
The Sardinian bark is thicker and of a deeper red colour than any other. 
To return to cork itself and its more common applications, we find that there are two 
sorts or qualities known in commerce, called respectively white and black cork. The 
■white, which is chiefly produced in the south of France, is the best, as it is smoother, of 
a more even and finer grain, and freer from holes and knots. 
The operation of cork-cutting is one requiring great dexterity and neatness, and is 
carried on to a great extent both in France and England, though, as might be supposed, 
the French surpass the English in this art. Machinery has been tried for the purpose of 
cork-cutting, but all is now cut by hand. Considering the difficulty, with which we are 
all acquainted, of cutting a clean surface to cork, it is surprising to see the rapidity with 
