HARDWOOD RECORD 



too. There has been no noticeable increase in 

 the haidwood output during the past weeli or 

 two. On the contrary, a few of the river mills 

 have worked up all their supply of logs and are 

 at present "out of bait." Cypress is in heavy 

 demand. In fact, the hardwood marlset shows 

 a most optimistic tone, with approaching fall 

 looking good. 



TOLEDO 



Hardwoods can scarcely be said to be devel- 

 oping strength as rapidly as some other lines 

 of lumber in this market. While there is a 

 fair call for hardwoods, no one seems inclined 

 to buy very far ahead. The retailers for the 

 most part are filling the holes in their stocks 

 by wagonload lots from the wholesale yards. 

 There has been no slump in the demand and 

 the call for building material is growing stronger, 

 but there is no rush in any line. Box plants 

 are proving good customers, while vehicle plants 

 are running about as they have been. The gen- 

 eral tone of the market is somewhat better, 

 for there will !« quite an outlet for hardwoods 

 for building purposes before the season closes. 

 It is only the past few weeks that there has 

 been even a prospect along this line here, and 

 'the work has not yet progressed sufficiently to 

 affect the market materially. There is still a 

 good demand for poplar, which is being worked 

 in many places as a substitute for white pine. 

 Prices are holding up well and there is little 

 prospect of a decline. An advance is looked 

 for in several lines. Receipts have been lighter 

 than last year at this season, but they have 

 shown some increase lately and shipments arc 

 very prompt. 



CHARLOTTE 



Yardmen seem to be buying more liberally and 

 show an interest in the relatively low quotations 

 current. No extensive stocking is yet to be 

 reported, but the needs of consumers are on the 

 increase, and conditions are more favorable than 

 they were. In various instances mill men who 

 contemplated shutting down toward the end of 

 the summer for a general overhauling of ma- 

 chinery have decided to postpone this work as 

 long as possible, in order to turn out an ade- 

 quate supply of lumber. It is considered a 

 promising sign that the car building shops are 

 beginning to receive contracts for new rolling 

 stock. With these establishments once more in 

 operation it is felt that other big consumers 

 will come forward. The one weak spot is the 

 export trade, which continues to suffer from 

 extensive congestion and from a depression in 

 prices that makes the exporters hesitate about 

 forwarding stocks almost under any circum- 

 stances. The extensive holdings abroad serve 

 to prevent recovery, and brokers are using the 

 accumulations to beat down prices until these 

 are lower than on this side of the Atlantic, 

 although the transportation and other charges 

 must come out of the returns. No relief is 

 likely to he experienced until the forwarding on 

 consignment Is discontinued by common con- 

 sent, and this will probably happen when the 

 domestic situation improves to such an extent 

 that manufacturers can dispose of their output 

 at home and at far better prices. 



The hardwood situation in North Carolina 

 continues to reflect healthy signs of Improve- 

 ment from the slump caused by the "panic" a 

 few months ago. In conversation with promi- 

 nent lumbermen of this state more general ex- 

 pressions of confidence In the early return of 

 normal activities are heard, and most of the 

 men interviewed are confident that by fall busi- 

 ness will almost be back to a normal basis again. 

 The revival In building operations has acceler- 

 ated demand tor various grades of lumber, and 

 market quotations reflect gains of anywhere 

 from $1 to $3 per thousand feet. The unusually 

 good crops (his year have added to the general 

 feeling o£ confidence, and lumbermen are ex- 

 periencing their part of the general optimism. 

 New concerns are being chartered every few 

 days in this state, and old ones that have been 

 closed down are resuming operations. Manu- 

 facturers report that most of their accumula- 

 tion of stocks has been disposed of, especially 

 furniture manufacturers, and that orders for 

 goods are forcing full-time operations. There 

 is not such a congestion of stocks in the yards 

 as was the case several months ago, and the big 

 increase in freight business during the past 

 few weeks Indicates the picking up in shipping 

 operations. Inquiries and orders for goods in 

 larger quantli.es are coming in more freely, and, 

 taken as a whole, it may he said that the situa- 

 tion in this state Is decidedly improved over 

 that a few months hack. 



Though no deckled upward movement has yet 

 taken place, the hardwood situation Is regarded 

 as showing a steady improvement, and a feeling 

 of confidence prevails In the trade that the re- 

 maining months of the year v«III bring a fair 

 amount of business. The range of values Is ns 

 a rule somewhat steadier, and the demand Is 

 slowly picking up. Many of the manufacturers 

 have been compelled to Increase their output as 

 stocks at the mills are generally very light. 



CLEVELAND 



A better tone to the hardwood market has 

 been noted here during the past week. Orders 

 are coming in with pleasing regularity and in- 

 dustries which have been quiet for months are 

 showing signs of life. This is particularly true 

 of the chair business, which has taken a hump 

 forward In the last fortnight. One big factory 

 at Bedford near Cleveland and another in this 

 city are again operating and calling for sup- 

 plies of hardwoods. There is also more strength 

 shown in the wagon trade. The desk business 

 is still dormant but sewing-machine cabinets 

 are being called for in greater quantities. 



Quartered oak holds the limelight for keen- 

 ness of di'iiLiii.I. Willi 1.-i-sw."-m1 .ts prnlmlily Its 



nearest < -m-: n i"'iirj ii->.l r-i- iiM.i.idlngs 



of various i,.imI- ]■■ piiu ;i'i.| plum ";ik are 

 called for in ihr ..i-,l.i> mm-<\ ■Ih-iv is also 

 more demand for hickory, ash and elm than 

 there has been for months. 



The planing mills arc all busy, according to 

 report, and more building has been gotten under 

 way during August than was recorded even a 

 year ago. The call for the finer lines of finish 

 and flooring is quite good. 



COLUMBUS 



tiou is not unusual for this time of the year, as 

 ,\ugust is generally a dull month In Columbns 

 for all kinds of trade. Collections are satisfac- 

 tory and hills are being paid with about the 

 usual regularity. 



There no longer seems to be any doubt In the 

 minds of Columbus lumbermen that the low point 

 of the market has been reached. The oaks and 

 chestnut are about $2 higher than they were a 

 month ago and continue to show an advancing 

 tendency. Yellow pine is up, especially on the 

 cheaper grades, but dealers are predicting a de- 

 cline In that lumber before the close of the year, 

 as manufacturers are turning out considerable 

 pine in the Southwest and the demand promises 

 not to be so active during the tall months. The 

 kind of houses that are now being built call for 

 the higher grades of lumber and the railroads, 

 which are the largest consumers of yellow pine, 

 are not in the market at this time. New struc- 

 tures that are now going up in Columbus call 

 for the higher grades of lumber and It is ex- 

 pected that the demand for yellow pine will be 

 light during the nest twelve months. Prices on 

 nearly all grades of lumber are decidedly stiff 

 and show an advancing tendency. 



Regarding the lumber trade in Columbus, there 

 is hut little new to be said. Business runs by 

 spurts, some weeks good orders coming In, while 

 in others the trade Is decidedly quiet. For the 

 month of August a majority of the local com- 

 panies so far have done a good business, while 

 others have not been so prosperous. During the 

 past two weeks there has been a noticeable in- 

 crease in business and the trade seems to he 

 picking up all along the line. Retail dealers are 

 kicking somewhat on the advance in prices, but 

 the jobbers say that conditions justify the ad- 

 vance. 



The fact that prices are advancing Is sufficient 

 evidence that business is improving in Columbus 

 and there is a better demand for all grades, 

 especially for future delivery stock. Some of the 

 retail dealers are trying to get all the futures 

 they can buy and seem to believe that the low 

 point of the market has been reached. General 

 business is at a sLindstill, because so many peo- 

 ple are out of the city on their vacations and 

 will not return until in September. This condl- 



^ CINCINNATI j 



\ slight improvement was again noted in the 

 hardwood situation during the past fortnight, 

 not that the demand has been of much greater 

 xnlume. but because of the better feeling dis- 

 played by consumers. The demand for poplar 

 has been the deadliner of the market for some 

 time, and lias lessened the available supply here 

 to almost a minimum ; a great many of the 

 local dealers are anticipating an increase in the 

 price. X general scarcity Is also looked for. 

 Several of the local concerns here loaded up 

 on that item during the early part of the year 

 and naturally are not as much wrought up 

 over the situation as those whose supply is 

 rather limited. The demand for plain and quar- 

 tered oak has also showed a much better tone 

 during the past two weeks, and the dally output 

 is larger than for weeks previous. The demand 

 for Cottonwood and all grades of gum has been 

 fairly strong during the last fortnight, due to 

 absorption by box manufacturers. They are buy 

 ing some cypress also, and some pine Is being 

 used. The furniture dealers are still holding 

 off ft-om replenishing their stocks and the de- 

 mand from this element is only for urgent needs. 

 However, dealers are confident that they will 

 soon be into the market for larger quantities of 

 those items used for the manufacture of furni- 

 ture, and until that time no particular change 

 is e.\pected In the situation. Generally speak- 

 ing, however, the average dealer is of the opin- 

 ion that trade will increase materially after the 

 first of September. 



INDIANAPOLIS 



There has been a decided Improvement In the 

 local hardwood market during the last month 

 and prices are advancing. This is especially 

 true of quartered oak, while other lines of hard- 

 woods have also been greatly in demand. 



Curtailed production In haidwood mills, the 

 holding off of buyers until stocks were almost 

 depleted and the unexpected demand tor hard- 

 woods has resulted in present conditions. Mills 

 are disposing of much of their surplus stock and 

 dealers are finding ready buyers for their stock. 



The advance In price so far has been slight, 

 but is encouraging, and before many months It 

 is predicted that hardwood prices will be back 

 to where they were before the financial strhi- 

 gency of last fall. 



ASHLAND 



General conii 

 e taking on 



in this market appear to 

 favorable appearance, al- 



