THE CORK OAK.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3489, 12 September 1882, Page 4

THE CORK OAK.

Afc a recent meeting of the Auckland Institute, Mr Justice Gillies read the following notes : —" In the public newspapers, and in the utterances of members of Parliamentary committees for the encouragement of native industries, we periodically find suggestions as to the introduction of the growth of tbe cork oak in New Zealand. The following facts may therefore be not uninteresting, as affording data by which to judge of the economic value of the cork oak in New Zealand : —ln the year 1855 the late Dr Sinclair planted close to his house, near Symonds-street, a young cork oak, received from Kew. It is now about 40ffe in height, 14ft from the ground to the first branch, with a spread of top of about 40ft in diameter. The trunk at 3ft from the ground is sft Bin in circumference after stripping. Eor several years past it has produced acorns, from which the present occupant of the ground, Mr John Hay, has raised a large number of young oaks, and distributed them liberally throughout New Zealand. In the summer of 1877 I stripped it for the first time and got a large quantity of virgin cork, which I did not weigh, the first stripping being of little or no commercial value. In February last I again stripped it, and after drying the bark found the pro duct to be 70lb weight of good marketable cork, fit for pint corks, as I am informed by Mr Dutton, the cork-outter, who was present at the stripping, and states it to be worth at least 60s per cwt. It will thus be seen that the trees must be twentyfive to twenty-seven years old before producing any return, and then every five years may produce 701b to 1001b weight of marketable cork. The produce improves in quality by each stripping. On comparing the New Zealand product with the imported bark it is cvi dent that the annual growth of the bark in Auckland is quite equal to that of the import. I present herewith to the Museum a sheet of the cork of last stripping, 3ft 4in by Ift 4in, which shows the character and quality of the cork, and is I believe the first produced in New Zealand. I also present a section of one of the branches, showing the mode of growth of the virgin cork.