CORK  AND  ITS  USES. 
307 
species  is  also  peculiar,  from  the  fact  that  it  ripens  its  acorns  in 
the  second  year. 
In  general  appearance  the  cork-oaks  differ  little  from  the 
common  oak,  except,  perhaps,  that  they  do  not  attain  to  so  large 
a  size.  There  is  also  a  slight  difference  in  the  form  of  their 
leaves—those  of  Quercus  suhei%  L.,  being  more  lanceolate,  and 
the  margins  not  so  deeply  sinuate  ;  the  acorns  are  also  somewhat 
longer  and  more  tapering  in  form  than  those  of  the  common  oak. 
The  cork-oak  does  not  require  a  rich  soil ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, it  seems  to  thrive  best  in  poor  and  uncultivated  ground. 
To  collect  the  cork,  incisions  are  made  longitudinally  and  trans- 
versely in  the  bark  of  the  living  tree,  the  instrument  used  being 
a  kind  of  axe,  the  handle  of  which  terminates  in  a  wedge-shaped 
form.    After  the  bark  is  cut  through,  it  is  beaten  to  loosen  it 
from  the  liber  or  inner  bark,  the  wedge-shaped  axe-handle  being 
inserted  to  lift  the  bark  from  the  trunk.  The  cork  thus  removed 
usually  varies  from  three-quarters  of  an  inch  to  three  inches  in 
thickness.    The  next  operation  is  to  divide  it  into  pieces  of  a 
uniform  or  convenient  size,  and  to  flatten  it,  each  piece  having, 
of  course,  a  similar  curve,  corresponding  with  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  from  whence  it  was  taken.    For  this  purpose,  the  pieces  are 
placed  in  pits  and  covered  with  water,  and  then  pressed  flat  with 
heavy  stones.    The  well  known  charred  surface  upon  these  cork 
slabs  is  caused  by  the  application  of  heat  at  an  open  fire,  after 
the  steeping,  for  the  purpose  of  contracting  the  pores.  The 
pieces  are  afterwards  bound  up  in  bales,  in  which  form  they 
appear  in  the  market.    In  removing  the  cork  from  its  paternal 
trunk,  care  has  to  be  taken  not  to  injure  the  inner  bark  next 
the  wood,  else  it  would  affect  the  second  crop  of  bark,  and  per- 
haps injure  the  tree.    This  operation  of  stripping  the  bark,  if 
dexterously  and  carefully  performed,  has,  as  we  have  already 
said,  no  detrimental  effect,  either"  upon  the  growth  of  the  tree 
or  the  rapid  formation  of  the  new  bark ;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
the  tree  is  said  to  grow  more  hardy  and  vigorously.    The  first 
crop  of  bark  is  usually  taken  when  the  tree  is  about  twenty-five 
or  thirty  years  old,  but  the  crop  is  of  less  value  than  that  of 
any  succeeding  gathering,  as  it  is  harder,  very  uneven,  and  more 
full  of  holes.    The  second  gathering,  however,  which  is  in  about 
