HARDWOOD RECORD 



31 



lit the higher grades, but dealers are in- 

 «/lined to make concessions on common stock 

 rather than to carry it over till spring. The 

 Pittsburg- Wholesale Lumber Dealers' As- 

 sociation is working wonders in keeping up 

 prices. 



Buffalo. 



Hardwood lumber is lairly active and the 

 demand promises to keep up well. Prices 

 .'ire fairly strong, with the exception of 

 maple, which has lost ground during the 

 summer on account of the large output. 

 Basswood is still quiet, but the yards here 

 have geneially light stocks of it and are 

 buying with caution. Quartered oak is 



active and plain oak as strong as ever, with 

 prices satisfactory. Stocks. especially of 

 plain oak. are light, but quite as good as 

 might be expected, considering the difficulty 

 of getting anything from the south this sea- 

 son. White ash is doing well and is in fairly 

 good supply, black ash being as scarce as 

 ever. The demand for elm continues light. 

 Birch and chestnut are especially good sellers, 

 as they are used so much in place of oak. 

 Dealers are buying all they can find of 

 them. The supply appears to keep up well. 

 Quite a number of dealers are cutting their 

 own birch and some are producing chestnut. 

 Cherry is fli-m. Cypress is a trifle quiet and 

 poplar sells moderately, with the future 

 rather uncertain. 



Detroit. 



Hardwood conditions in Detroit have bright- 

 ened up considerably during the past two 

 or three weeks and even thick hard maple is 

 moving much better than' at any time since 

 last spring. Oak is still scarce. The auto- 

 mobile people are crying for the white hard- 

 woods for bodies. 



Saginaw Valley. 



Trade in liardwoods is handicapped by 

 scarcity of cars to move goods after they 

 have been sold. Railroads cannot begin to 

 supply cars to handle stock, and there is 

 much complaint on the part of shippers. Not 

 more than one-fourth the number of cars 

 wanted can be obtained, and conditions are 

 worse than that with some of the larger 

 firms. 



A curious feature of the trade is that, while 

 maple lumber has been slow this season with 

 generally large stocks in manufacturers and 

 dealers' hands, maple flooring has been firm 

 and in active demand and manufacturers have 

 experienced no difficulty in disposing of their 

 product as fast as it was in condition to 

 ship. Last year these conditions were re- 

 versed. The trade does not attempt to ex- 

 plain this, but realizes that it is a fact. The 

 maple flooring business has been good during 

 the entire season and is active at present, 

 with prices satisfactory. A considerable por- 

 tion of the output is shipped abroad. 



Both thick and inch maple is reported in 

 ample supply and rather slow, despite the 

 active trade in flooring. There has been an 

 active trade in ash, but offerings are not 

 large as the stock i.-; limited. Oak has also 

 been exceptionally firm and no difficulty is 

 experienced in finding customers for all that 

 is manufactured in this market. Birch has 

 picked up materially of late. Elm is not plenti- 

 ful but is moderately firm. Beech has been a 

 little slow. Basswood has not been as active 

 as dealers could wish all the season, and there 

 appears to be enough in dealers' hands to sup- 

 ply the wants of the trade. Generally speaking, 

 dealers are carrying fairly good stocks of hard- 

 wood with the exception of those grades that 

 are always scarce. 



iUe inability to move stoclv quickly. The rail- 

 roads lack equipment to take care of their busi- 

 ness and the heavy movement of potatoes and 

 other perishable freight at this season brings 

 about the sidetracking of many cars of lumber. 

 I'iain oak and maple flooring stock continue in 

 strong demand. Birch and basswood are doing 

 better. Ash has sfllTened. the supply in Michi- 

 gan being quite liinilcd now. Grey elm is firm, 

 beech quiet. 



Milwaukee. 



Although it was expected that the car 

 shortage would have a depressing effect on 

 the sales of hardwood lumber, dealers say 

 that such is not the case and that orders are 

 coming in' as briskly as they can care for 

 them. Only points which have competing 

 lailway lines have been able to get cars with 

 any sort of regularity. The agent of the 

 C. B. & Q. is authority for the statement 

 that that line is 3.000 cars short and it is 

 thought that other roads are equally as badly 

 hampered. The movement of western crops 

 is held responsible and as there has been no 

 cessation in that , business, no immediate re- 

 lief is in sight. It is not thought that normal 

 < onditions will be restored before the end 

 of the year. 



Unfavorable weather conditions have not 

 had the effect of checking work in the woods 

 in the northern section of the state and prac- 

 tically all of the hardwood firms have put 

 large crews at work. There have been slight 

 falls of snow in the woods, but it has not 

 been sufficient for logging purposes or deep 

 enough to in any way interfere with the cut- 

 ting of timber. 



There has been little change in market 

 conditions during the past two weeks and 

 trade has been fair. The demand has beeir 

 good, especially from furniture and interior 

 finish manufacturers. Wagon manufactur- 

 ers and the makers of agricultural implements 

 have also been active purchasers. The de- 

 mand for birch is considered exceptional 

 and there have been an abundance of sales 

 of other hardwoods, especially elm. Prices 

 have been firmly maintained. 



Bristol. 



Fairly favor8.ble conditions prevail with 

 respect to the hardwood lumber trade in 

 Bristol and vicinity and dealers and manu- 

 facturers feel confident of a brisk winter 

 and spriug business. There is a slight scar- 

 city of stock in this territory attributable 

 to the shutting down of various country mills 

 which only operate during the summer 

 months. This scarcity will no doubt be re- 

 lieved by the opening of several large mills 

 within a few weeks. The car shortage has 

 given a great deal of trouble but has im- 

 proved during the past week, and the demand 

 for cars is now fairly well supplied. 



The export business is reported as showing 

 improvement and is now better than it has 

 been for some time. 



Grand Bapids. 



Local hardwood dealers are busy. One of the 

 unfortunate conditions Is the car famine and 



Cincinnati. 



The consensus of opinion among members 

 of the hardwood trade in this city is that 

 conditions at present are better than at any 

 time this year. During the past fortnight 

 there has been a gradual increase in the de- 

 mand, all hardwoods sharing in the improve- 

 ment, and prices on a number of items are 

 the best since last year at this season. Stocks 

 in nearly all lines are "down to the bone" 

 and as there have been heavy rains through 

 Kentucky and West Virginia during the last 

 two weeks no increase in receipts is antici- 

 pated. There has been an improvement in 

 inquiries from export sources, with plaiir oak 

 leading. 



Plain oak still leads in favor in both red 

 and white varieties, and with available dry- 

 stocks small, the market has been character- 



ized by stiffness. Quarter-sawed white and 

 red oak are in better call. Ash is in urgent 

 request and prices display a strengthening 

 tendency. Orders for cypress continue liberal 

 with prices firm. Because of light stocks an 

 advance in some items of this wood arc be- 

 lieved imminent by some members of the 

 trade. Poplar, especially firsts, has been a 

 prime seller. Culls have remained rather 

 quiet, however. Box manufacturers have been 

 in the market actively for Cottonwood, par- 

 ticularly the higher grades, and a feeling of 

 firmness has been noted, because the supply 

 continues limited and there is no immediate 

 prospect of freer receipts. Gum is moving 

 fairly well. Chestnut and hickory are in ac- 

 tive request and other grades of hardwoods 

 absorbed with avidity. 



Chattanooga. 



Lumbermen of this city are still looking for a 

 .splendid business this winter and next spring. 

 Hardwood conditions are very encouraging, and 

 while there has been no material change in 

 prices, the status of the market is very satis- 

 factory. Plain and quartered oak are very 

 scarce, and stocks are short. Logmen are cut- 

 ting more oak timber than usual and it is be- 

 lieved that the supply v.-ill be increased in the 

 near future. Poplar is firm and the demand 

 increasing. Chestnut continues strong and is 

 gaining in popularity in the local market every 

 day. 



As is the case all over the South, there has 

 never been such activity in building Interests 

 here as at the present time. Several million 

 dollars have been expended in this city and sec- 

 tion within the past year on new buildings. This 

 great building activity has taxed every planing 

 mill to its utmost capacity and there is no in- 

 dication of abatement for some time to come. 



St. Louis. 



WTiile the demand for hardwoods has shown 

 noticeable improvement during the past two 

 weeks, the aggregate of business has been 

 somewhat disappointing to the trade gen- 

 erally. As an offset to this fact it may be 

 noted that most of the principal hardwoods 

 have figured in the call, and while sales have 

 'oeen small in quantity they have been nu- 

 merous. Most buyers ask for speedy delivery, 

 and the inference from this is that stocks 

 have been permitted to get so low that it is 

 necessary to replenish them speedily to meet 

 the requirements of the early future. 



Plain oak still leads in the market, with 

 ash a close second. Poplar is improving stead- 

 ily. Hickory is meeting a fair call from 

 wagon makers. Gum and Cottonwood have 

 shown a degree of activity recently that is 

 a distinct improvement over that reported 

 for the last two or three months. Prices on 

 all items are well maintained. 



Nash'ville. 



Business continues active here and local 

 dealers say they have no cause to complain. 

 Poplar is picking up wonderfully. It is ex- 

 plained that the former dullness in this wood, 

 save wide poplar, was in a measure occa- 

 sioned by the fact that many northern and 

 eastern woodworkers and manufacturers have 

 been trying to substitute cottonwood. white 

 pine, tupelo gum and cypress for it. As far 

 as carriage building is concerned it is said 

 the effort has not been a success. 



A big eastern trade and many foreign or- 

 ders are reported. There are more car orders 

 now than at any time this year. Quartered 

 oak is in demand and dealers are busy ship- 

 ping the stocks they have on hand, not much 

 new stuff being produced. The old reliable 

 plain oak continues in strong demand. Chest- 

 nut, common and better, is selling well and 

 all kinds are hard to get. The same is true 

 of ash, especially the better grades. 



Owing to the fact that the river tides are 



