CORK  AND  ITS  USES. 
309 
our  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  inven- 
tions, 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  "  Kamptu- 
licon,"  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  deli- 
cate 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 
W7ith  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  favor  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  proper- 
ties. 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  color  of  the 
bark,  varies  much,  according  to  the  district  from  whence  it  is 
obtained.  The  Sardinian  bark  is  thicker  and  of  a  deeper  red 
color  than  any  other. 
To  return  to  cork  itself  and  its  more  common  applications,  we 
