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

A Boiling Station

Inserting the wedge-shaped handle, the tree’s covering is then pried off, care being taken not to injure the inner skin at any stage of the process, for the life of the tree depends on its proper preservation; and if it is injured at any point, growth there ceases and the spot remains forever afterward scarred and uncovered.

A Wagon Load of Bark

The larger branches are stripped in the same manner, yielding thinner but generally a finer grade of cork than that from the trunk.

Factory at Seville, covering Twenty Acres

The thickness of the bark is anywhere from one-half to two and a half inches, while the yield also varies greatly—from forty-five to five hundred pounds—depending on the size and age of the tree.