50 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



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The Hardwood Market 



-C NEW YORK >.= 



=■< CHICAGO >.= 



Chicago trade is at present divided into two classes — those who have 

 lumber to deliver and those who have not. It is not a question locally 

 of selling stock, hut entirely of buying. Stock sells and at good prices 

 and, judging from the sentiment of most of the members and their ex- 

 pressed opinions of the situation, this status of affairs will continue for 

 some little time. Most standard woods in both northern and southern 

 stock are not only in active demand, but commanding a very satisfactory 

 level of prices. Oak, of course, is predominant in demand, but, in keep- 

 ing with the conditions in a great many other points, ash is another 

 extremely active factor. Maple, birch, beech and other northern woods 

 are moving actively. 



The factory trade is good in Chicago. The mild weather of a couple 

 of weeks ago started a number of building operations which have been 

 cheeked for a short time by the cold weather immediately following. 

 There is every reason to believe, however, that building business will be 

 unusually active during the spring and summer months. 



THREE STATES LUMBER COMPANY 



Manufacturers oi 



SOUTHERN HARDWOODS 

 Cottonwood and Red Cum Specialties 



MAIN OFFICE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE 



CINCINNATI 



Hardwood Manufacturers and Jobbers' 



CONASAUGA LUMBER CO. 



MANUFACTURERS HARDWOOD AND PINE 



rOCRTH NATIONAL BANK BUILDING 



WE SELL "SERVICE" 



in connection with a full line 

 OF 



Oak, Gum, Poplar, and other Hardwoods 



If you appreciate "service," in all 

 its details, write, wire or phone 



THE M. B. FARRIN LUMBER CO. 



Richey, Halsted & Quick 



HIGH GRADE SOUTHERN LUMBER 



E. C. BRADLEY LUMBER CO. 



HIGH GRADE WEST VIRGINA HARDWOODS 



GOEBKE BUILDING 



Johns, Mowbray, Nelson Company 



OAK, ASH, POPLAR & CHESTNUT 



GUM AND COTTONWOOD 



C. CRANE & CO. 



MANUFACTURERS HARDWOOD LUMBER 



1739 EASTERN AVENUE 



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strong conditions still prevaii in tlip local hardwood mai-liet, and there 

 is no immediate prospect of slackening. Good lumber is hard to obtain 

 and there is a large demand for all that finds its way into the market. 

 The continued improvement in the matter of poorer grades is taken as 

 an indication that the demand for lumber is healthy and will continue 

 so. Such woods as have been leaders in this market are still in good 

 call at high prices, with oak and ash leading the way. Buyers who 

 stayed out of the market at the first signs of higher prices now realize 

 that the advances have been genuine with the result that local stocks 

 are low and the demand for actual needs is great enough to absorb all 

 that comes' in. Buyers returning from manufacturing points report low 

 stocks, difficulties attending manufacture and high cost of stumpage, fea- 

 tures which mean anything but a falling off in values. 



=•< BUFFALO y 



HiU'dwood cl( filers state that trade hos been vpry satisfaot.<ty so I'nr tbis 

 mnntli and most of them are selling quite a fair amount of lumber. 

 Logging conditions in some localities have not been as favorable as they 

 usually are in v ii'ter time, and this has had much to do with kccpiu^ 

 up the price of stock. There is firmness almost everywhere in the list, 

 with the prospect of this feature continuing. Some dealers feel that 

 prices are not likely to work much higher than at present, but say that 

 if they du it may kad to some curtailment of ordors by manufacturers. 



The chief wood in demand continues to be plain oak. with quartered 

 showing more firmness than it did some weeks ago. Maple and birch are 

 also holding up well. Brown ash is in better demand and is being used 

 a good deal for crating purposes. Beech shows improvement and bass- 

 wood has picked up somewhat. Poplar in most grades is also in bet- 

 ter demand, and mills have but small stocks at present to offer. 



•< PHILADELPHIA > 



.\ gradual strengtliening of the hardwood market is noticeable during 

 the last fortnight, .\mong the wholesale consuming industries buying 

 continues active, and the large corporations especially are buying freely 

 for ties and railroad timber. Boxmasters are working on increased orders, 

 and the general outlook is promising for steady trading throughout the 

 year, the paucity of material being the only difficulty. For the whole- 

 saler without sfi'ong mill connections, the situation at the mill ends is 

 not very eucourasing, and the query "Can you deliver the goods?" is 

 unfailingly made by the purchasing agent at this time. There is fear 

 tliat the manufacturers may force values to a height that would act as 

 a boomerang, apropos of which danger, many of the readers of Hard- 

 wood Record, have made the remark that the cartoon in the issue of 

 Feb. 10 hits this particular nail squarely on the head. The respective 

 positions of the hardwoods remain as previously reported. Plain oak 

 continues the topper, with quartered oak forging rapidly to the front : 

 ash holds firm; gum is strengthening; maple in good demand; birch 

 makes new friends : mahogany and veneer market is active ; beech, pop- 

 lar and basswood are also in good call. 



=-< PITTSBURGH y- 



Things are moving along at a very st^dy pace in lumber buying 

 although the volume of business has not been quite so large on new 

 orders as wholesalers anticipated. Yardmen have been a little bit slow 

 in coming forward with their orders, as many of them think that lower 

 prices can be secured later on. They are going to be badly mistaken in 

 this idea. All quotations are held very firm on hardwoods, and stocks 

 are scarce. Mills are not gaining any in supply. The impassable, roads 

 and the floods, together with car shortage, have made it uniformly 

 difficult to get anything like a full quota of hardwood shipments this 

 winter. Southern hardwoods are very firm in demand and export trade 

 is reported good. The furniture and implement people are taking a 

 large amount of stuff this winter and look for good business all the year. 



^-< BALTIMORE >-= 



None of the recent developments in the hardwood m.arket have been 

 such as to cause manufacturers and dealers to take a less favorable view 

 of the situation or to cloud the outlook. The demand keeps up surpris- 

 ingly well in practically all divisions of the business, with a wide range 

 of prices. It cannot be said that any easing off has occurred. Con- 

 sumers are evidently obliged to provide for large requirements and the 

 hunt for lumber goes on so actively that the mills have been unable to 

 accumulate considerable stocks. The tone of the market is rendered all 

 the firmer, perhaps, by the fact that the almost bottomless state of the 

 roads makes it very difficult to haul logs or to get lumber to railroad 

 stations. This renders sawmill operations and the distribution of the 

 output very diflicult and tends appreciably to keep the range of prices 

 firm. Oak is not only holding its own. but appears to show additional 

 strength, the quotations at present being almost the highest ever real- 

 ized in the trade. 



The export movement is also brisk, notwithstanding the rather liberal 



