Browse Encyclopaedia By Subject
Abbreviations
Actors
Aircraft
Architecture
Computer Viruses
Costume
Dictionary
Food & Drink
Gazetteer
General Information
Heraldry
Language
Latin
Medicine
Money
Movies
Music
Mythology
Nature
People
Recreation
Rocks & Minerals
SciTech
Shakespeare
Ships
Slang
Warfare

Free Photographs

Antiquarian Map Archive

The Probert Encyclopaedia of General Information

CORK

Picture of Cork

Cork is the external bark of a species of oak (Quercus suber) which grows in Spain, Portugal, and other southern parts of Europe and in the north of Africa, and is distinguished by the great thickness and sponginess of its bark, and by the leaves being evergreen, rectangular, somewhat oval, downy underneath, and waved. The outer bark falls off of itself if left alone, but for commercial purposes it is stripped off when judged sufficiently matured, this being when the tree has reached the age of from fifteen to thirty years. The first stripping yields the coarsest kind of bark. In the course of eight or nine years, or even less, the same tree will yield another supply of cork of better quality, and the removal of this outer bark is said to be beneficial, the trees thus stripped reaching the age of 150 years or more. The bark is removed by a kind of axe, parallel cuts being carried round the tree transversely and united by others in a longitudinal direction, so as to produce rectangular sheets of bark. These vary in thickness between 2 mm and 7 mm. Care must be taken not to cut into the inner bark, or the tree would be killed. The pieces of cork are flattened out by heat or by weights, and are slightly charred on the surface to close the pores.

Cork is light, elastic, impervious to water, and by pressure can be greatly reduced in bulk, returning again to its original size. These qualities render it peculiarly serviceable for the stopping of vessels of different kinds, and formerly for floats, buoys, swimming-belts or jackets, artificial limbs, etc. Corks for bottles are cut either by hand or by means of a machine. The best corks are cut across the grain.
Research Cork

 
Your host - Matt Probert

The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by Matt and Leela Probert

©1993 - 2009 The Probert Encyclopaedia

Southampton, United Kingdom

 
Home  Publishers  Quiz  Products  Photos  FAQ  Privacy Policy  Add URL Contact  Site Map