HARDWOOD RECORD 



57 



licen for the past sixty days. The larger manu- 

 facturers expect a greater demand and better 

 prices in another sixty days and are malting no 

 special effort to make sales. It is now believed 

 that the timber supply from sources on which 

 the mills here depend will for the season be prac- 

 tically nothing, and the lumber sawed the present 

 season will supply shipments to be made not only 

 this year but in 1909 also. With this curtail- 

 ment, anything like normal conditions will cause 

 an unusual scramble for lumber, especially pop- 

 lar and oak. 



Now in addition to the above prevailing condi- 

 tions in eastern Kentucky and western West 

 Virginia, we are confronted by a circumstance 

 which in the last three years has grown into an 

 enormous factor in the production of lumber. 

 This is the small portable mill which sprang up 

 so plentifully within the past few years of lum- 

 ber scarcity and helped the situation by cutting 

 on small tracts of timber inaccessible to large 

 plant.^ and unheeded by the large manufacturers 

 who were looking for heavy investments. 



The price of lumber for several years past has 

 enabled timbermen to get a supply from some re- 

 mote and rough places where the cost of opera- 

 tion would have been prohibitive were it not for 

 the unusual high prices lumber brought. The 

 little millmen who did this in many cases had 

 no financial means, but depended on the buyer of 

 his lumber to advance the money necessary to 

 log, saw and haul the lumber to the railroad 

 and sometimes help buy the mill, and if the tim- 

 ber was not owned by the operator to also buy 

 the trees. This lumber bu.ver was invariably 

 the jobber who was forced to this resort to sup- 

 ply his customers. 



With conditions changed to the present phase, 

 investigation shows that practically none of 

 these plants are now running. It is estimated 

 that only about five or ten per cent of these 

 plants located in eastern Kentucky have sawed 

 anything since the first of last December, at 

 which time the season was nearly closed and the 

 cut pretty well cleaned up and shipped, which 

 was indeed fortunate for the purchaser. 



.\s to the amount of lumber supplied by these 

 portables an estimate can hardly be made too 

 high, as there are so many of them which saw 

 from half a million to one and a half million 

 feet annually. These mills standing idle, together 

 with the general curtailment of production in 

 the large plants, surely means that the lumber 

 demand is supplied largely from the old stock 

 on the yards. 



SAN FRANCISCO 



Local conditions, which generally .speak fur the 

 whole Pacific coast, show a gradual improvement, 

 or, as we may better say, a continuation of the 

 excellent state in which they have been for some 

 time. In hardwoods dealers have no cause to 

 complain, especially when compared with other 

 lines of building material. The supplies are very 

 good and business quite brisk. 



Oak continues to receive the larger share of 

 the interest of all concerned, but in many places 

 it is being replaced by the Pacific coast woods, 

 principally jenisero, which continues to find 

 friends wherever it goes. In oak quarter-sawed 

 white is naturally the one which receives most 

 attention, and lumber that is a little off color or 

 narrow is frequently rejected by the consumers. 



Mahogany likewise continues in very good de- 

 mand, and on account of the scarcity of West 

 Coast wood, which is being very extensively spec- 

 ified on account of its beauty, the dealers have 

 had to go east for part of their needs and quite 

 a movement is coming this way. Several new 

 stores occupying entire buildings are being fitted 

 out in this wood, the owners apparently stopping 

 at nothing to make their places, as handsome as 

 the very best in other cities. 



In flooring maple receives by far the most at- 

 tention, although a little red and white oak are 

 being used. In maple the 2 '4 -inch width seems 



to be the most popular, but the trade in general 

 insists on the lengths being 4 feet and up and 

 a very small percent.ige of short lengths. 



Money is getting more plentiful every day, for 

 building purposes particularly. 



MINNEAPOLIS 



Conditions in the factory trade of the North- 

 west are improving steadily, though rather slow- 

 ly. The flooring men are having the best of the 

 business at this time. A large share of the 

 houses this year are of inexpensive design and 

 material, calling for comparatively little hard- 

 wood, but in most cases they have hardwood 

 floors on the lower story at least, and as the 

 volume of building in the cities is not far be- 

 hind last year, this is making a good trade in 

 flooring, birch being a decided favorite. There 

 is less parquet flooring sold than formerly. The 

 factories are beginning now to stock up some- 

 what, having run their stocks low, and find that 

 prices are relatively much stiffer on hardwood 

 than on other lumber. The furniture factories 

 are cleaning up their stock and have been run- 

 ning out of some items of hardwood, so some of 

 them have been in the market lately for small 

 lots to round out their stock. They are still 

 keeping it low, however, and the best demand 

 from these people is not expected to materialize 

 for another month or two. The sash and door 

 trade is rather quiet, so comparatively little 

 hardwood is being taken. Basswood continues 

 to be Arm, and quartered oak is generally report- 

 ed scarce and strong. Cull hardwood for box 

 purposes is quiet at present, but with a summer 

 revival of box trade should pick up to a marked 

 degree. The country trade is somewhat better, 

 as a number of the smaller shops and fac- 

 tories are coming into the market for material 

 again, wagon stock being a leader, as usual ; 

 but flooring is also selling well to retail yards 

 in small towns. 



CHARLOTTE 



The hardwood situation in the Carolinas con- 

 tinues to show signs of improvement. During 

 the past two weeks lumbermen have been much 

 busier than they were some months ago ; orders 

 no-.v coming in more freely and operations being 

 conducted on a larger scale. Market prices also 

 have strengthened, and on the whole there is a 

 decided tone of optimism in regard to the pres- 

 •■nt situation and the outlook for the future. 

 It is the confident belief that fall will witness a 

 return of normal conditions. A number of 

 new concerns have been chartered during the 

 past fortnight and several plants that closed 

 earlier in the year because of the unfavorable 

 conditions have found it profitable to resume 

 either partial or full operation. The same im- 

 provement is evidenced in other lines of indus- 

 try in the Carolinas, and undoubtedly the pros- 

 pects for a regular business during the fall and 

 winter are brighter than at any time this year. 



Hardwood stocks in this city are beiow nor- 

 mal, and there is little disposition to replenish 

 them. In some lines there is plenty of stock 

 on hand ; in other lines there would be a de- 

 cided shortage if the demand was where it ordi- 

 narily is. Dealers are buying a little more lib- 

 erally, however, and all are firm in the belief 

 that the bottom notch in prices has been reached 

 and that the next change will be in the nature 

 of an advance. This perhaps accounts for the 

 placing of heavier orders recently. There has 

 Ijeen no large business done, but some increased 

 activity is noted. Oak and poplar have been cen- 

 tral figures in the market recently. A consign- 

 ment of oak timber, comprising about 1.50,000 

 fee.t, cleared from this port recently for Kings- 



ton, where it will be reloaded and shipped to 

 Liverpool. There is still no heavy call from the 

 building trades for hardwoods, although the fac- 

 tories continue to consume their usual quota. 

 Agricultural implement plants are especially 

 busy. It is said they are behind on their orders 

 for machinery, due to the heavy demand occa- 

 sioned by the big crop. Vehicle works are also 

 active, all of which has furnished a nice market 

 for hickory, ash and oak. Box plants are also 

 busy and are taking cargoes of mixed hardwoods. 



LOUISVILLE 



Hardwood matters in Luuisville seem to be 

 looking up, for it is noted that whereas for sev- 

 eral months past users of both heavy dimension 

 oak and oak lumber have been only making in- 

 quiries which usually amounted to nothing, 

 within the past few weeks a fair proportion of 

 inquiries has ripened into orders. It is noted 

 that more business is being done in heavy dimen- 

 sion oak than in the lumber grades. 



In Louisville prices have been well sustained 

 throughout the period of financial depression. 

 Of course comparatively little shipping has been 

 done, but it is predicted by the more optimistic 

 manufacturers that business will be good again 

 by September 1. 



As to heavy dimension oak, one big local com- 

 pany declares that it has booked enough orders 

 in that commodity to "hold them" for some time. 

 The trade in oak lumber has not been so brisk. 



Mahogany veneer is in active demand, and the 

 manufacturers are busy booking orders and fill- 

 ing same. One manufacturer said that he had 

 thought for a while it was because it was a 

 specialty that the demand kept up so well, but 

 after a long run of weeks it had begun to look 

 as if things are doing again and business all 

 around will pick up. 



Trade still continues in a most depressed state 

 and no improvement can now be expected for 

 some weeks to come, as with the advent of the 

 present month the city is in the midst of the 

 summer holidays, which have an upsetting in- 

 fluence. Prices of all hardwoods have come down 

 to a low level and it is extremely diflicult to find 

 a single item which it is possible for brokers to 

 sell at remunerative prices. Shipments on con- 

 signment still come tumbling in and many car- 

 loads have been sold at very low prices. 



Hickory is still being shipped in extremely in- 

 ferior qualities, with the result that prices are 

 no good guide to the true position, though there 

 is little doubt that the prevailing depression has 

 invaded this market also. There is, however! a 

 good quiet demand for the best quality wood 

 and this and only this should be shipped. Pop- 

 lar, oak and walnut are all being sold at low 

 prices in all grades and sizes and as lower prices 

 are likely to come shippers should try to realize 

 as promptly as possible. Ash planks and second- 

 growth logs are practically unsalable and should 

 on no account be shipped, but the larger first 

 growth logs are in fair demand. The last ma- 

 hogany sale was a ver^ poor affair and much 

 wood had to li.- w itlidrawu for want of a bid. 



The wood was n.i :o ■ |iTi,.nal character, but 



there is little .l..iii,i (h.it iliis market is showing 

 the general depression which exists. 



POPLAR 



Rough and Dressed 



SOUTHERN HARDWOODS 

 M. A. HAYWARD 



1021 Saving and Trust Bldg., Columbus, O. 



