THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



19 



THE MARKETS. 



CHICAGO. 



In spite of the mklsnmmer season, liusi- 

 ness holds pretty good in the Chicago mar- 

 ket on almost all kinds of hardwoods. 

 ■\yith some few exceptions, however, the 

 demand seems to have sagged a trifle. 



Labor troubles here within the last two 

 weeks have broken out in woodworking 

 lines, and although it seems there will be 

 no very widespread discontent and that 

 present difficulties will be overcome 

 shortly, -it ha.s the effect of putting a 

 damper on business. With the curtailment 

 in demand, the supply is coming in more 

 freel.v and there is consequently more har- 

 mony in the situation. 



The war between the bulls and bears 

 (the dealers and consumers) goes merrily 

 on. The midsummer season gives the con- 

 sumers a chance to talk prices down and 

 they are making the best of it. 



Such reaction as there has been in price. 

 though, is largely iu those kinds of woods 

 that have been selling at abnormally higli 

 prices, and really has little effect on the 

 prices that wholesale dealers are and have 

 been willing to pay for large lots of stock. 

 They have never taken kindly to the ab- 

 normal prices at which some woods have 

 been .selling and have only piu-chased 

 enough of such as was required to meet 

 the wants of their trade from month to 

 month. When it came to buying for fu- 

 ture delivery, they were generally con- 

 servative and they would pay about as 

 much for that class of stock now as at 

 any time. 



Northern hardwoods are arriving in Chi- 

 cago in large quantities and are bringing 

 good, but not fancy, ijrices. 



Cottonwood is being offered more freely 

 and the same is true of all southern hard- 

 woods aside from oak. The poplar situa- 

 tion throughout the country appears to be 

 strong, but it might be much stronger in 

 Chicago. Quartered and )ilain oak are still 

 very scarce and the question of price does 

 not seem to cut as much of a figure as the 

 ability to get stocks. 



CINCINNATI. 



The hardwood lumber business in this 

 vicinity is in a rather unsettled state. For 

 Several days at a time inquiries come in 

 with a regularity that is pleasing, and 

 then again practically no inquiries will be 

 received for several days. One could 

 hardly claim that the demand was good, 

 although there is as yet no just grounds 

 for coiiq)Iaint. Prices have imdergoue no 

 change and there is but very little pros- 

 pect for any changes for some time. Thei'e 

 is but very little doubt that the labor 

 troubles in the East are having effect on 

 the hunber trade of the entire country, 

 and this section is commencing to feel it 

 along with the res't. 



In saw mill circles hereabouts tliere is 

 great activity and lots of lumber is daily 

 being placed on sticks, A visit to many 

 of the local yards would show that stocks 

 are in better shape than they have been 

 iu several months. Trade would lie even 

 in a better shape were it not for the fact 

 that there seems to be a reluctance on part 

 of the yard owners to stock up ou hunber 

 at tlie present high prices, as the im- 

 pression among them seems to be that the 

 present prices won't hold out. 



The call from abroad is still of an en- 

 couraging nature and quite a lot of stock 

 finds its way to the European markets. 



The demand for oak shows very little 



change. Quartered stock of all kinds is 

 and has been in good demand for a long 

 time. The upper grades in dry stocks are 

 still exceedingly scarce. The lower grades 

 are a trifle more plentiful. Plain-sawed 

 stock also is in good demand, with the 

 lower grades in slightly the best favor. 



During the past two weeks the market 

 has slightly improved for cottonwood lum- 

 ber, although it is not up to the standard 

 we have become accustomed to in the past 

 year. Firsts and seconds have shown 

 most improvement, Bo.x common is un- 

 changed. Wagon box boards are. still in 

 giicd demand and the call for mill culls is 

 ali that could be desired. 



The situation in poplar is also un- 

 clianged. There are plenty inquiries for 

 lasts and seconds, but the consumers are 

 unwilling to pay the prices asked. Culls 

 are still in good favor and dry stock in 

 this grade is not very plentiful. The de- 

 Ui.-ind for mill culls is only fair. 



The improvement noted in gum lumber 

 a short time ago still continues. The de- 

 Tiiand for firsts and seconds is picking up. 

 Inquiries for clear saps are also more 

 plentiful. Common gum is still a trifle 

 slow. Cull gum is having a very good 

 di^mand, and mill culls are also in good 

 favor. 



ST. LOUIS. 



While the St. Louis people are still far 

 behind with their orders, as a result of 

 th'^ impaired traffic arrangements of the 

 roads entering this city, progress has been 

 made during the past two weeks iu 

 straightening this out. The high water 

 s< riously in.jured St. Louis business dur- 

 ing the whole of the month of .Tune and 

 is still an important factor, in that the 

 old business is not yet entirely cleaned up 

 and it is hard to take care of new 

 oi'ders. The facilities of all of the roads 

 entering this city are limited and tlie 

 tremendous amount, of freight which had 

 accumulated ou both sides of the river 

 is not yet entirely cleaned up, there are 

 numerous instances of cars having been 

 out for more than thirty days, bound for 

 St. Louis, and which have been in East 

 St. Louis at least three weeks and are not 

 yrt delivered. Outgoing business is af- 

 fected in nuich the same way. 



These conditions have prevented the 

 making of as good a record during the 

 past month as the amount of business 

 booked would warrant, and they have 

 seriously handicapped this market.' as the 

 season of summer dullness is now at hand. 

 All of the local wholesalers report that the 

 orders now being l)ooked compare very 

 favorably with this season of former years, 

 and they expect a healthy summer "trade, 

 but tlie fact remains that the summer busi- 

 ness is not expected to be tremendously 

 heavy. There is little trade with the fur- 

 niture factories at just this time, as these 

 are paying more attention to the furni- 

 ture expositions and an; watching the 

 Ircnd of the styles before they will buy 

 lumber very heavily. • .\t the same time 

 there is a hand-to-mouth trade with all of 

 them which is giving a fair amount of 

 liusiness. Other woodworking factories, 

 also, find it necessary to buy lumber to a 

 ureater or loss degree, as so many of them 

 for six months past have been anticipating 

 a decline in prices that few have satisfac- 

 tory stocks. The local people are still 

 devoting the greater part of there ener- 

 gies to the bettering of their stocks, as the 



Timber Lands 



We offer the following bargains in soutlii'rn 

 timber lands and saw mills. 



COAL ASD TIMBER B.\RGA1N. 

 Ten thousand acres of hardwood timber, 

 including oak, asb, poplar, hicliorv. etc.. In 

 Eastern Tennes.see. estimated to cut 40,- 

 000,000 feet, underlaid by several fine 

 veins of coking coal ; quick deal ; $5 per 

 acre. Refer File 90. 



IN WESTERN TENNESSEE. 

 Four-thousand acre tract ; located in 

 Ilatchie River bottom, a floating and navi- 

 gable stream, seven miles south of Browns- 

 ville, Tenn, ; lies in one solid and continu- 

 ous body ; longer river front than other 

 way ; has white oak, red oak, hickory, gum, 

 cypress, ash, elm, beech, maple and other 

 varieties of timber common to tliis country ; 

 price is ^S per acre ; good title. File 72. 

 A VALUABLE TRACT. 

 Twenty thousand acres in Haywood 

 County and 5.000 acres in Madison County, 

 N. C. ; a 25,000-acre tract of virgin tim- 

 ber — poplar, oak, chestnut, cucumber and a 

 little cherry ; will cut 5,000 feet per acre, 

 about 3,500 merchantable timber : Pigeon 

 River is the boundary line for 9 miles ; the 

 railroad is now running to Waterville, .lust 

 across the river ; the railroad is building 

 up about four to five miles on same side of 

 the river, and then near Cold Spring Creek 

 they are to cross the river and will run 

 over this tract four or five miles : Ten- 

 nessee state line is another boundary line ; 

 price of this tract is .$7. DO : title is good ; 

 this will make good cattle ranch when tim- 

 ber is taken off. F:!e 1. 



DO YOU WANT A SAW MILL? 

 Four saw mills in Western Tennessee ; 

 two of 20.000 feet capacity and two of 

 10,000 feet : timber adjoining and access- 

 ible to all these mills; details upon appli- 

 cation to interested parties. Refer to File 

 72. 



HERE'S A FORTUNE. 

 Thirty-tive thousand acres hardwood tim- 

 ber in Arkansas, at .?S.50 per acre : guaran- 

 tee it to cut 12,000 feet to the acre, mostly 

 white and red oak, hickory, ash and gum ; 

 lies on navigable river less than 100 miles 

 from Memphis, and trunk line railroad runs 

 through it north and south, east and west, 

 affording exceptional shipping facilities ; 

 property must be sold to settle a% estate, 

 but it takes money : land for agricultural 

 purposes, fully worth ,$6 per acre after 

 timber has been cut. File 156. 



AN ARKANSAS BARGAIN. 

 Twenty-two thousand acres hardwood at 

 .'JO. The follow'ing are the estimates in 

 millions ; White oak, GO ; red oak, 36 ; elm, 

 40 : Cottonwood, 25 ; gum, 12 ; hickory, 15 : 

 white ash, 10, with considerable cypress 

 and about 50 ties to the acre: title perfect; 

 average haul to shipping point, two miles ; 

 no dreamers, but actual purchasers 'or their 

 responsible representative. File 15. 



A WISCONSIN TRACT 

 Df over 6,500 acres and estimated to cut 

 10.000,000 feet of basswood, 3,000.000 oak. 

 6,000,000 birch, 3.500.000 elm. 2.000,000 

 maple, 5,000,000 hemlock, 1,000,000 ash, 

 with several thousand railroad ties, with 

 100,000 cords of wood : land for farming 

 is very best and should sell readily at from 

 $6 to $10 per acre : 720 acres of this is 

 under permit and timber only is included 

 in this offer; 5,855 acres of land goes with 

 the deal : price .^65.000, part cash, balance 

 in annual payments for three or four years 

 at <! per cent. File 166. 



But why enumerate'/ We handle large 

 and small timber tracts in all parts of the 

 country. ^\'e also handle Southern farm 

 lands, old colonial estates, improved farms 

 suitable for general farming and stock, as 

 well as unimproved lands, especially suited 

 for goats and sheep. We make a specialty 

 of locating woodworking factories, saw 

 mills and kindred industries. 

 I Being familiar with the South and Its 

 many advantages and opportunities for lu- 

 'vestment. we ask you to consult us. 



SOUTHERN LAND CO., 



134 MONROE STREET, CHICAGO. 



J. F. OLSPS, Formerly Agent for the 

 Land and Industrial department f*r 

 the Southern and the Mobile and 

 Ohio Railways, Manager. 



, 1^4'nlors in Woutliorii Tinilior. llineral 

 itiiil l-'ai'iiiiii;; IjIiikIm. 



