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The bark of the cork-tree is first stripped off its trunk when the tree is about thirty years old. This bark is very rough and full of cracks. It is called virgin cork, and it is used to decorate green-houses and flowerboxes.
木栓櫟樹長到30年的時候, 就可以第一次剝樹皮了。這一次剝下來的樹皮非常粗糙, 滿是裂紋, 叫做“頭道皮”, 也叫“初生栓皮”, 用來裝飾溫室和花盆。
The bark soon grows again on the tree; and after ten years it is stripped off again. This time it is of a rather better quality. After this, the bark is taken off every eight or ten years. The best cork is got from trees that are about fifty years old.
不久, 樹上就又長出樹皮來。10年以后, 這些樹皮就又剝下來了。這一次的質量就好多了。這以后, 每過8–10年就剝一次樹皮。最好的樹皮, 是大概50年的樹出產的。
The cork is taken from the tree in large sheets, or planks, as they are called. These are scraped well, and are slightly burnt in order to close the pores or tiny holes, and to kill any insects that may be in them.
樹皮是大片大片地從樹上剝下來的, 這種大片的樹皮片叫做plank, 人們把樹皮打磨好, 拿火烤一下, 讓樹皮上的細孔或者小洞閉合, 也是為了殺死里面的一切昆蟲。
The planks are then flattened out under heavy stones, after which they are boiled, and dried in the sun. In this state the sheets of cork are sent to our country; and here they are cut up with sharp knives into any shapethat may be wanted.
然后, 把樹皮片用沉重的石頭壓平, 再用熱水煮一遍, 在太陽底下曬干。這樣處理過的軟木板, 運到英國, 用鋒利的刀子切成我們想要的任何形狀。
Other trees would be killed if we were to strip off their bark, but the cork oak-tree seems to grow all the better for it. If its bark is not taken off, the tree dies when it is about sixty years of age; but trees that have been regularly stripped live to the age of about one hundred and fifty years.
別的樹, 如果剝了樹皮, 就活不下去了。但是栓皮櫟樹一旦剝了皮, 似乎反而長得更好。不剝皮的樹, 大概60年就會死去, 但是, 每隔一段時間剝一次皮的樹, 卻能活大約150年。
