HARDWOOD RECORD 



ASHLAND 



The month of July is starting in with an In- 

 creased amount of inquiries and orders over 

 any prior month this year. Lumbermen In this 

 Ticinity feel much encouraged over present con- 

 ditions and outlooli. Prices are more firm and 

 the demand more regular. Poplar and quartered 

 oak seem to be in the front rank as to demand 

 and firm prices. The buying of the yard men 

 and furniture factories is certain to increase, 

 as they hare been out of the market for so long 

 and have been Inlying so sparingly that their 

 stocks are badly depleted, and they must soon 

 seek the market for present and future supplies. 



Demand for hardwood lumber Is quiet and 

 there is every indication of it remaining so. The 

 trade seems Indisposed to buy except to cover 

 pressing requirements, and the smallness of or- 

 ders Is one of the striking featnrcs of the situa- 

 tion. The trade usually expects only moderate 

 activity at this time of the year. and. with the 

 general depression which has prevailed in lum- 

 ber circles during the past few months, it In 

 believed by some members of the lumber fra- 

 ternity here that this summer will offer even 

 more limited opportunities. However, the feel- 

 ing Is one of confidence regarding the future 

 and there Is a striking disposition on the part 

 of both manufacturers and wholesalers to look 

 forward to a good business at the beginning of 

 fall. 



The best demand at the moment Is for the 

 Mgher grades of plain and quarter-sawed oak. 

 Offerings ore very light and satisfactory prices 

 are obtainable for this class of material. The 

 lower grades are slow of sale. Cottonwood Is 

 being offered at low prices In some quarters. 

 It Is reported that log run Is selling at about 

 the lowest price of the year. Manufacturers 

 believe that It Is wiser to carry present stocks 

 than to dispose thereof, cut their timber and 

 take chances of replacing these holdings, and 

 there Is little attempt to dispose of dry stock 

 at the prevailing level. The gum situation 

 shows no material improvement. The demand 

 Is light and the volume of business small. Some 

 of the trade hold to the view that the low price 

 of the year has been seen on gum and that any 

 change mu.st be for the better. The demand 

 for both ash and cypress Is exceptionally light 

 and there is very little stock of either descrip- 

 tion moving. Poplar Is sustained as to prices, 

 but there Is little for sale and the volume of 

 business Is -naturally restricted. 



The export situation shows no Improvement 

 and advices received here by prominent export- 

 ers from their brokers on the other side do not 

 hold out hope of any change for tiie better In 

 the near future. In discussing the situation 

 they declare there Is so much consigned stock as 

 to make It practically Impossible to do business. 

 Prices arc so demoralized that It is out of the 

 question to send lumber abroad and dispose of 

 It at a level that will yield even a fair margin 

 of profit. As a matter of fact, exporters have 

 about come to the conclusion that they will be 

 unable to do much In the foreign market until 

 there has been sufliclent demand to remove from 

 the market the consigned slock whirh has proven 

 such a depressing factor. 



MINNEAPOLIS 



There has been some Increase In the orders 

 enjoyed by local wholesalers In the past two or 

 three weeks. They do not expect much busi- 

 ness during the next month, but generally figure 

 that fall demand will start somewhat earlier 

 than usual, from the fact that many of the 

 large users of hari'.wood have put off their or- 



ders and have only a small amount of stock 

 on hand. The sash and door factories have 

 been in the market more lately, and some furni- 

 ture demand Is also noted. Country trade Is 

 still quiet and almost confined to mixed cars. 

 There is a stronger feeling in plain oak and 

 while the market here Is still $45 to $4G, some 

 are putting up their price to $48 and expect to 

 get it eventually, though not just yet. They 

 prefer to stay out for a while in order to get 

 their price when the market advances. There 

 are no snaps In the hardwood market now. Eass- 

 wood prices are fully up to those of last year. 

 Birch Is inclined to become firmer also. 



The flooring demand continues good and Is 

 about the only feature of outside trade. Maple 

 and birch are the leaders, and city consumption 

 of flooring as strong as ever, as a good share of 

 the building operations at present Is residence 

 building. Railroad demand continues to be 

 quiet, but some Indications would show (hat 

 there will be a revival in the call for car stock 

 before long. 



TOLEDO 



!f there has been any change In the hardwood 

 situation It Is that there Is even less activity 

 than there was some time ago. There has been 

 no Increase In the factory consumption and the 

 buildings are of such a character that they re- 

 quire but little hardwood finish. Considerable 

 oak flooring Is moving, and there Is some move- 

 ment of oak timber. It Is bauled here on wag- 

 ons, where It Is being worked up as ordered 

 at the local mills. Poplar Is also In fair demand 

 for building purposes and Is holding quite 

 strong. There has been a fair supply of Incom- 

 ing shipments from down along the Ohio river, 

 but It has all found a good market, and with 

 few exceptions there has been no cutting of 

 poplar prices. Very few hardwoods have held 

 firm recently. Oak, ash, elm and hickory have 

 been In good demand at the agricultural Im- 

 plement plants and vehicle works, where there 

 has been a shortage of output, and orders have 

 lieen rushing day and night recently In an effort 

 to catch up. The box plants are also dolnL- 

 a good business and have received a number of 

 large water shipments of mixed hardwoods fm 

 local consumption. Dealers still expect that 

 there will be a general picking up In the bulbl 

 Ing trades before the season Is over. It Is said 

 that the factories will Increase their output a 

 little later on, and everyone Is living In hope- 

 of some good business In the near furnre. 



in (iisiussing conditions wlili ihe wholesaler^ 

 and manufacturers here It would be Inferred thai 

 the general stale of trade Is rather quiet and thai 

 there Is somewhat less than the usual summer 

 business being done. It seems also quite the 

 general feeling that during the past two week-; 

 prices have been more steady than during the 

 month preceding, although this Is not to be ac 

 cepted as indicative of higher values, but merely 

 of an absence of the fluctuations which have 

 been apparent since the Inauguration of the 

 late panic. Contrary to expectations, during the 

 last few days of the month exportatlons In- 

 creased In volume sufliclent to exceed those of 

 the preceding month and place .Tune on a better 

 footing than the same month of 1907 by a safe 

 margin. This was particularly . surprising In 

 view of the damage done the foreign market by 

 the consignment evil, and In view of the quiet 

 state of trading during the month Just past it 

 Is considered quite extraordinary. 



The consensus of opinion among the hard 

 wood trade here Is that the month Just past 

 has been, all things considered, a satisfactory one 

 While profits have not been nearly as great n« 

 during preceding years, the hardwood Interesi* 

 must expect to suffer along with others, and 



when questioned regarding the outlook for fu- 

 ture trade the sener.nl expression now seems to 

 be of a mor,' 1 "] fn! ImimI. and according to 

 many there i ii- reasonably to be 



prophesied a- i during the remain- 



der of the siniiiir - 1 1 .i;ii:; 



LIVERPOOL 



Trade shows no signs of recovery and we have 

 only a gloomy outlook to show shippers. I'rices 

 still show a weak tendency, though the import 

 has been less heavy during the past fortnight, 

 .stocks are. however, excessively heavy and we 

 look forward with decreasing demand to still 

 lower prices. We advise shippers to lower their 

 prices tor contract goods which are too high In 

 comparison with goods now being sold on con- 

 signment. 



Canary whltewood Is particularly weak, espe- 

 cially In lower grades, and log timlier Is prac- 

 tically unsalable. The stock of logs is much too 

 heavy and shippers should take care not to ship 

 without definite orders. Wagon oak Is being 

 shipped in all kinds of unsalable lengths and we 

 hear of prices which cannot possibly even pay 

 the freight. Some good parcels of white oak 

 logs of prime quality would come to a fair mar- 

 ket. Ash logs are weaker, though some wood of 

 large size with fair proportion 14 feet and up 

 would find buyers at reasonable prices. Hickory 

 logs are somewhat weaker, but good prime wood 

 will bring fair values. Small second growth ash 

 logs are unsalable at any price and planks of 

 even the l)est quality arc not finding any sale. 

 Three mahogany sales are to be held this week 

 and we anticipate rather lower prices than at 

 last sale. The wood offered Is of very good 

 quality and there Is much stock which will suit 

 .^merlcan buyers. I"urchase should be made well 

 ahead while values continue low. as the next 

 few months will surely see a small advance at 

 any rate. The mahogany trade here Is much 

 firmer than It has been and we have heard of 

 several fairly large purchases from Kngllsh con- 



ROPLAR 



Rouch and Drc-ssed 



SOUTHERN HARDO'OODS 

 M. A. HAYWARD * 



1021 Saving and Trust Bldg.. Columbus. O. 



CORRESPONDENCE SOLICITED 



HARDWOOD LUMBER 



Norval Osburn, Seaman, Ohio 



