Cork: Being the story of the origin of cork, the processes employed in its manufacture & its various uses in the world to-day

by Armstrong Cork Company

The Giralda, Seville

There the bales as they come from the country are opened, the bark boiled and scraped, if this has not already been done, and then, after the edges have been trimmed, is sorted into a dozen or more grades of different quality and thickness. The importance of this last mentioned operation cannot be overemphasized, as the whole problem of the successful and economical manufacture of cork centers about it.

The Wharf at Seville. Loading Bales of Corkwood for America

The expert Spanish sorters having finished their work, the bark is ready to be rebaled for shipment to America.

Bale of Corkwood

Broad sheets are placed in a baling box to form the bottom of the bale, and above them are laid smaller pieces, which are covered in turn with larger sections; then the whole mass is subjected to pressure to render it compact, afterward being bound up securely with steel hoops or wire.

Spaniards cutting Bark into Strips and Squares