THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



23 



strength, and the tleuiantl eoutinues to be 

 much stronger than can be successfully 

 copeil with. Gum is quoted on this mar- 

 ket at $10 to ¥18 for common and $13 to 

 $14 for cull. While some people believe 

 that gum prices will not remain this high 

 fo!" more than six months, there is some 

 douVit as to this in view of the present 

 scarcity of other woods. 



As a matter of course the strongest item 

 among the oaks Is cjuartered wliite. and 

 the local market is almost depleted of this. 

 Quartered red is also becoming quite scarce 

 in all grades and is now almost as active 

 as is white. The strongest call in quar- 

 tered white oak is for inch stock, the local 

 supi)ly for other thicknesses having been 

 heavier. The increasing demand for plain 

 oak. mentioned in our last report, continues 

 and it develops that there is very little of 

 this class of stock in the city. Gum is 

 rcall.v improving more rapidly than are 

 upper grades, but all grades are wanted in 

 almost unlimited quantities. It ife still be- 

 lieved in St. Louis that inch plain oak is 

 destined to reach higher prices than now 

 prevjiil. and the effort is being made to 

 l)re|)are for this. Heavy thicknesses are 

 also wanted, and local stocks of them are 

 light. Hickory, ash and the other woods 

 handled in St, Louis are in poor supjily and 

 strong demand, and the market promises to 

 rrmain firm througliout the rest of the 

 year. 



MEMPHIS. 



Memphis. Tenn.. May 0. lOil?,. 

 The lumber situation has developed as 

 a new feature the last few weeks little 

 beyond a small increase in the mill output 

 at the cit.v mills, liut hardly eipial yet to 

 the demand. The country mills have in 

 a great many instances gone out of busi- 

 ness because of the increased cost of oper- 

 ation and the scarcity of timber. The 

 larger mills have their principal trouble 

 in the trio of transportation, labor and 

 timber troubles. Both the price and de- 

 mand of lumber are so good that they 

 afford little gi'ounds for complaint. The 

 domestic business is widel.v distributed and 

 there is a large export movement now, 

 at prices that the American lumbermen 

 themselves have fixed, and that the Kng- 

 lish and German brethren have fallen into 

 by force of facts. The cypress market has 

 been active and prices strong. It is pos- 

 sible that inquiries are not quite so brisk 

 now on this wood, tjuarter-sawed white 

 oak has been selling at $(>" to $72 the last 

 few days for one to two inch, and the 

 wood is not i)lentiful at those jjrices. 

 • Juarter-sawed red oak is stiff in ])rice. the 

 range being $47 to $.jtJ. This wood, how- 

 ever, is easier to get. IMain white oak 

 finds ready sale at $.32 to $.'{i;. Ash is in 

 good demand at slightly improved iirices. 

 It is selling at $3.^ and $.3i; f. o. b. Mem- 

 phis. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



Prices on all the hardwcjinls are high. 

 The dealers are complaining of a shortage 

 of stock and the situation has onl.v been 

 aggravated by the forest fires. White pine 

 is exceptionally scarce and stiff prices are 

 the rule in the market. Soiilh Carolina 

 pine is abundant in a few grades only and 

 an advance in iirice is expected. While 

 and ([uarlcrcd oak ai'e both obtaining good 

 prices in the market as a result of the di- 

 minished suppl.v. and both hemlock and 

 cypress are in big demand. Tlie same may 

 be said of chestnut and poplar, the scarcit.v 

 of both woods being especially noticeable 

 at the local lumber yards. 



Dealers throughout the city are com- 



plaining of the car shortage, which has 

 made prompt deliveries imiiossible. For 

 the past six months consignments have 

 been received at the e.xiiiration of two and 

 three months' time, where they should have 

 been received in .as man.v weeks. The ad- 

 vent of spring, with the falling off in the 

 coal shipment, has brought a small meas- 

 ure of relief, although the congestion along 

 the lines of travel still continues to hamper 

 prompt deliveries and Inmljer dealers are 

 exjiectantly awaiting the end of the dilfi- 

 cuities. 



BUFFALO. 



It is not so dithcult tn get the orders 

 if one only has. or can get. the dry stock 

 with which to fill them. Quartered oak is 

 king, all right, and plain oak is selling well 

 and bringing good prices. White ask is 

 livening up .some, although not bringing 

 such good prices as oak. Cypress is also 

 a good seller at association prices, which 

 arc going up steadil.v. The call for birch 

 is increasing at good prices. Taking it 

 altogether, the situation here is not nearly 

 so bad as it might l>e. The green stock 

 that has been coming in the past few 

 ii'.onths is drying out in good shape and 

 will soon be fit to ship, and there is a little 

 seasoned lumber coming to the front all the 

 time. 



CINCINNATI. 



Cincinnati. (>., May 7. 1003. 



Last month was a good one for the hard- 

 wood trade generally, and ilay is starting 

 out .lust as good. The demand, generally 

 speaking. Is good. The saw mills in this 

 section are not letting any grass grow 

 under their feet, and are certainly making 

 lundier as fast as is possilile. This, coupled 

 with the fact that the demand has let up 

 a trifie on some of the woods, may result 

 in a slight accumulation of stock, which 

 Would come iu the nature of a novelty. 

 It is hardly expected, however, that any 

 accumulation which may result will have 

 a material effect on prices, at least not 

 for several months. 



The slump which was noticed in the 

 furniture and carri.-ige trade still hangs on, 

 and inciuiries for lumber from those quar- 

 ters are not near as numerous and heavy 

 as was expected. 



The railroads seem to be master of the 

 situation once again, and cars are once 

 more moving with a regularity and dis- 

 patch that is necessary for satisfactory 

 business. 



The export trade may be termed good. 

 It is not as brisk as it was a couple of 

 UH^iiths ago. but it is still in a satisfactory 

 shape and prices being obtained are good 

 and in keeping with the market. 



The retail yards in this section claim 

 business satisfactory, although some of the 

 yellow i)ine dealers make complaint on the 

 business of the past week. This was 

 caused no doubt by the strikes inaugurated 

 or. .May 1 by many of the labor organi/a- 

 tlons ill this city. ' .Most of the grievances 

 have been ad.justed. and the carpenters are 

 again back at work. This strike retarded 

 tlu> builders quite considerably, as all of 

 them had more contracts than they could 

 ably handle, even with a full quota of 

 woikmen. The activity in building circles 

 which was inaugurated in this city last 

 spring is being renewed with increased ac- 

 tn ily. and soo^i our city will rank with the 

 Ih St of them when it conies to skyscrapers. 



In oak circles there is very little change. 

 The demand on practically all grades con- 

 tinues strong. I'rices on quartered white 

 oak are high, and there does not appear to 

 lie a fixed price. In iil.-i in-sawed firsts 

 and seconds prices are more stable and do 



WANTED. 



FIRST AND SECONDS AND COMMON 



PLAIN AND /N A I/' 

 QUARTERED V/ M fV . 



H. E. CHRISTIAN, 



INDIANAPOLIS, IND. 



The Best of All 



The Shimer Cutter Heads 



Are made like the illustration above, 

 which shows the Expansion feature. 

 Other styles are shown in our catalogue 

 No. 24.' A copy free for the asking. 



S. J. Shimer & Sons, 



MILTON, PENNSYLVANIA. 



INDUSTRIES 



ARE 



OFFERED 

 LOCATIONS 



WITH 



Satisfactory Inducements, 

 Favorable Freight Rates, 

 Good Labor Conditions, 

 Healthful Communities, 



ON THE LINES OF 



THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL R. R. 



AND THE 



YAZOO & MISSISSIPPI VALLEY R, R, 



For full Information and descriptive pamphlet 

 address 



CEORCE C. POWER, 



Industrial Commissioner, 



I Pari< Row, Chicago, Hi. 



