HARDWOOD RECORD 



49 



Since the fall demand has startod stocks of 

 hardwoods in this market have gotten very low, 

 and it is hard to fill all the orders offered for 

 all of them, particularly plain oak. The car 

 shortage has prevented much coming in to take 

 the place of the items that have been shipped 

 out and very little is expected to arrive in this 

 market until there is a let up in the equipment 

 needed for the movement of cotton. 



Prices are lirni on all items and an upward 

 tendency prevails for the items most in demand. 

 The call for cypress has fallen off somewhat 

 but is still good. A big business has been done 

 by the St. Louis dealers, and shipments continue 

 to go out in good volume. The car shortage 

 has greatly benefited the market. Cypress deal- 

 ers are considering the matter of securing stocks 

 as much as they are that of filling orders. The 

 lar.gt .yards, however, still have a good supply 

 on land and can lill nearly all orders coming 

 to them. Prices are steady and firm. 



LOUISVILLE 



White oak is the 'uue best bel" at present, 

 both plain and quarter-sawed varieties selling 

 equally well. This is a noteworthy condition, 

 this being the first time in over a year that 

 quartered white oak is moving as briskly as 

 plain. Manufacturers of quartered assert, how- 



White Oak Flitches 



Will pay cash f. o. b. your 

 station for Quartered 

 White Oak Flitches 



CORRESl'OXDEXi'E SOLICITMi 



PUTNAM VENEER & LUMBER CO. 



ROACHDALE. INDIAKA. 



THREE STATES LUMBER CO. 



Manufacturers of 



SOUTHERN HARDWOODS 

 Cottonwood and Red Cum 



SPECIALTIES 

 Main Oiiice, Memphis, Tenn. 



BLUESTONELAND& 

 LUMBER COMPANY 



MANUFACTURER S 



West Virginia Hardwoods 



SOFT WHITE PINE 

 OAK POPLAR 

 CHESTNUT HEMLOCK 



BAND SAWED STOCK 



Complete Planing Mill Facilities 



RIDGWAY, PENNSYLVANIA 



ever, that they are completely sold up, and some 

 advances in price have been reported, although 

 for the most part former quotations have ruled, 

 the chief improvement being as to demand. 

 Plain red oak is also selling brislily, though 

 quartered red is not in particularly good de- 

 mand. White ash is a big fealure of the sit- 

 uation, and is moving well. (Chestnut, cotton- 

 wood and gum are all in good call, while the 

 better grades of hickory have been in surpris- 

 ingly good demand. 



NASHVILLE 



The local hai-dwood lumber market contiuues 

 unusually active. The demand is brisk for plain 

 and quartered oak. Some of the dealers are 

 compelled to decline orders for these lines. There 

 is a generally good demand for other lines. The 

 brisk business for several months has consider- 

 ablj" reduced the stocks in the Nashville district, 

 the total ordinarily running around 100.000.000 

 feet, but present stocks in this district would 

 probably not go over 80.000.000 feet. Local 

 hardwood flooring plants are operating at capac- 

 ity, with a good demand. Some export ship- 

 ments are mentioned. Box factories are also do- 

 ing a good business. 



MILWAUKEE 



Despite the lateness of the season, the local 

 hardwood business is holding up fairly well. 

 Active building operations here and about the 

 state, a brisk demand from farm implement con- 

 cerns and box manufacturers, and a fair request 

 from the sash and door plants and furniture 

 factories are doing much to keep up trade. 



Stocks at most points are still light and job- 

 bers are complaining of the delay experienced in 

 most instances in effecting deliveries on orders. 

 The northern mills seem to be turning out only 

 about enough to meet present requirements and 

 the supply of dry stocks is exceedingly light. 

 The car shortage is causing some trouble, espe- 

 cially in regard to southern shipments. 



Maple is strong and prices for inch stuff have 

 advanced one dollar during the past four weeks. 

 Three-inch maple stocks are practically ex- 

 hausted. Red birch is in especially brisk de- 

 mand, while the furniture manufacturing con- 

 cerns are calling for a considerable amount of 

 No, 1 and No. 2 common. Stocks of No. 3 com- 

 mon birch are exhausted at most points. The 

 interior finish plants and sash and door con- 

 cerns are looking for all the unselected birch 

 that they can get. Basswood prices are strong 

 and low grade stuff is in good demand. In the 

 southern woods plain and quartered oak leads 

 the demand. 



CADILLAC 



Market conditions were never better in this 

 vicinity than at the present time, taking hard- 

 woods and hemlock as a whole. There are no 

 large excess stocks of any kind. A year ago 

 1 here was a surplus of maple flooring, but this 

 has been taken up, first by th6 increased demand 

 for maple flooring, second by the diversion of 

 a considerable quantity of the flooring lumber 

 to other purposes than into manufacture of 

 flooring and the hemlock has been pretty well 

 cleared up account excessive demands for both 

 boards and piece stuff and because of the 

 scarcity, prices have materially advanced in 

 both woods. 



LIVERPOOL 



The market position is again exceedingly firm 

 and almost everything at this port has taken a 

 big bound upwards. Of course the larger por- 

 tion of the rise in values is covered by the in- 



creased freight charges which are now higher 

 than has ever before been known here. The 

 lucky holders of stock at this port are reaping 

 a very rich harvest, especially these who have 

 imported on the old basis of sea freight. How- 

 ever, there are not many so fortunate as to hold 

 stock to any appreciable extent. 



From all accounts before lumbermen, it is 

 predicted that values will continue to advance 

 firmly for at least another twelve months in 

 the mahogany section where record prices were 

 realized at the last sales. The market for hick- 

 ory is again bare and some talk is heard of 

 very high prices, contracts having been made for 

 next year's shipments at prices which are higher 

 than any sales during last year, Sound ash is 

 in a similar position. Oak logs have sold well 

 also. .Although there have probably been more 

 round oak logs imported this year than in any 

 other year, there is not a log to be seen now. 

 Birch logs have also been going well ; in fact, 

 there are very few prime logs left from last 

 year's shipmerits. Oak planks to wagon specifi- 

 cations are snapped up as quickly as they ar- 

 rive. 



Prices of all the cheaper grades of stocks — 

 sap gum, Cottonwood and tupelo — are also ex- 

 ceedingly firm. Wide stocks are very firm in- 

 deed and there is a keen demand for all classes 

 of wide hardwoods. Cypress seems to be much 

 in favor as a substitute for poplar stocks, which 

 has now reached a price making it prohibitive 

 for many trades. 



QLAsaow 



Business at present is conducted on fair lines, 

 no special briskness in any particular line tak- 

 ing place. Though prices are well maintained, 

 they should he higher to give some compensation 

 to shippers. 



Pitch pine continues firm, the upward tend- 

 ency still being adhered to. Freight room is 

 exceedingly diflicult to obtain at present, so 

 that little business is being done and that at 

 prohibitive prices. C. I. F. values show no sign 

 of weakening, as these will be held so as long as 

 freights retain their present level. Everything 

 at present points to values in spruce becoming 

 still stronger. As importers know that prices 

 are certain to advance still further, they are 

 using the utmost caution and will not enter into 

 engagements for delivery ahead. Any stock 

 held at present is not sold except at greatly in- 

 creased prices. 



Several large cargoes of oak boards and planks 

 have recently arrived from Baltimore. With the 

 exception of one or two cars, the quality of 

 these does not seem to be up to the usual stand- 

 ard. Prices realized, however, have been full, 

 considering that the grading is down. It is not 

 the least surprising that shippers have been 

 lowering the grades to induce buyers to take up 

 the lumber at lower prices. This is the direct 

 result of the freight situation, but it is not de- 

 sirable, even with the high freights prevailing, 

 to lower the grades. It would be much better 

 it shippers adhered strictly to the gradings and 

 advanced prices accordingly. It is in the inter- 

 est of shippers themselves and also agents here 

 that greater care should be exercised in the se- 

 lection of the planks, 



A large quantity of southern oak logs are 

 presently held in second hands and it seems that 

 these are practically unsalable in spite of the 

 good demand for oak logs. Thus it will he seen 

 that the old remarks regarding southern oak logs 

 are still applicable. Shippers are only storing 

 up trouble for themselves when they persist in 

 sending these logs forward. Had these logs been 

 from West 'Virginia they would have been cut 

 into dimensions ere this. 



Packing case makers at present are brisk and 

 furniture makers moderate, the difficulty in ob- 

 taining supplies making business diflBcult. Ship- 

 building continues busy. 



