Bibliography.—J. B. A. Chevalier, Du Cafe ' (Paris : 1862); W. G. McIvor, Labories Coffee planter of St. Domingo ' (Madras : 1863) ; A. R. W. Lascelles, Nature and Cultivation of Coffee' (London : 1865); C. E. A. Le Comte, Culture et Production du Cafe dans les Colonies' (Paris : 1865); W. H. Middleton, Manual of Coffee-planting ' (Natal : 1866) ; W. Sabonadiere, `Coffee planter of Ceylon ' (London : 1870); R. H. Elliott, Planter-in Mysore' (London : 1871); Moreira, 'Breves Consideracoes sobre a Historia e Cultura Cafeiro ' (Rio de Janeiro : 1873); P. H. F. B. d'011i, Culture du Cafe,' &c. (Paris : 1874); H. E. Stainbank, Coffee in Natal ' (London : 1874): H. Prestoe, Report on Coffee in Dominica (Trinidad : 1875); A. Riant, Le Cafe,' &c. (Paris ; 1875); W. P. Hiern, African Species of Coffca ' (Jour. Lin. Soc. : 1876); R. Hanson, 'Culture and Commerce of Coffee ' (London : 1877); E. C. P. Hull, Coffee-planting in S. India and Ceylon (London : 1877); P. L. Simrnonds, Tropical Agriculture ' (London : 1877); L. Rice, 'Mysore and Coorg ' (Bangalore : 1877-8) ; G. Pennetier, Le Cafe' (Paris : 1878); R. B. Tytler, Prospecta of Coffee Production ' (Aberdeen : 1878) ; T. Christy, New Commercial Plants ' (London : 1878 —); G. Anderson, Coffee Culture in Mysore ' (Bangalore : 1879); J. Hughes, Ceylon Coffee Soils and Manures ' (London : 1879); D. Morris, Handbook of the Coffee-leaf Disease ' (London : in press) ; A. M. and J. Ferguson, Planting Directory ' (Colombo : at intervals); Hon. M. Romero, Cultivo del Cafe en la Costa Meridional de Chiapas.' (See Beverages—Coffee).
CORK. (Fn., Liege ; GER., Kork.) The hark of trees consists, inwardly, of a parenchymatous or soft cellular tissue, and, outwardly, of a harder woody tubular tissue, the latter being generally the more abundant. If the growth of the parenchyma be prolonged and rapid, it will assume a more or less cork-like character, as in the case of some of the elms, the common oak, and many other trees. This peculiarity is developed to an exceptional degree in one species of oak, which has been named, from this circumstance, Querous suber ; it is the bark of this tree which constitutes the cork of commerce.
Tho tree is an evergreen, growiug to a height of about 30 ft.; its acorns are edible, and resemble chestnuts in taste. It does not require a rich soil, but seems, on the contrary, to thrive best on poor and uncultivated ground. It is indigenous to the basin of the Mediterranean, and was introduced some years ago into the most temperate of the United States of America, for acclimatization. The principal cork-producing countries are :— Portugal, especially the province of Alentejo. This cork is inferior to the French, but superior to the Italian, and is mostly shipped from Lisbon.
Spain, particularly Catalonia and Valencia.
Italy (Tuscany). A lighter and whiter variety than the Sardinian, and considered the second best imported to this country.
Sardinia produces a kind easily distinguished by its colour and weight, being pinkish-hued and heavier than the Tuscan or African sorts ; said to be the best imported by us. In 1861, it was reported that the cork forests of Sardinia and Corsica had been in a great measure destroyed by improper working.
France, most abundantly in Languedoc, Provence, the environs of Bordeaux, and the Depart ment of Var.
Afric,a, whose product is reckoned inferior to Tuscan. In Morocco, there rue several cork forests, notably at El Araish. Algeria seems to he peculiarly favourable to the development of the cork oak, the climate having . uniformly high temperature, with profuse nightly dews, while the dry, warm, open hill sides arc covered with a sufficiency of light soil. The cork thus becomes finer, more elastic, less porous, and more free from. earthy particles than in Europe. The tree attains a larger growth here. The bark is usually dried in the sun ; but if wetted during that operation, the drying is completed by artificial heat. There are over 2i million acres of cork oak forest in this province, of which about 300,000 acres are utilized. It is said to be capable of producing as much cork as all the rest of the globe, if only the people could be kept to peaceful agricultural pursuits.
The tree attains to as great size in Britain as in Spain, and might be an object of cultivation in some of the warmest parts of these islands ; but there is every probability that the wetness of the climate would seriously impede the operations of the cork harvest.
Portuguese acorns were planted, in 1839, in Wayne County, Mississippi, and all grew ; the largest tree, eleven years later, measured 13 ft. in height. The trunk had attained a diameter of 11 in., and the cork bark was more than 1 in. thick, In 1872, the planting of cork trees was extended to Southern California.
From a correspondence which has taken place between the director of Kew Gardens and the Crown agents for tho Colonies, on the subject of a supply of cork oak acorns to the Cspe, it appears that the experience of sending them out to the Punjab proved that they lost their vitality very rapidly, and it became necessary to rely eventually upon a supply of young plants raised at Kew, aud sent out in Wardian cases. Numerous cork oaks, however, already exist in the neighbourhood of Capo Town, and bear acorns freely, and it is believed that if these were systematically collected and sown, an adequate supply of young seedlings would very soon be procured.
In the humid district of Western Port, Australia, imported cork oaks grew 4 ft. in one year. Two other speciee of Quercus are found in Australia, viz. Q. pseudo-suber, and Q. occidentalis : the bark of the former is inferior for cork ; but the latter, which is hardier than Q. suber, is said, by Professor von Mueller, to produce a very good cork bark.