32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



not yet due and bad weather is, lumbermen 

 througrhout the timber districts are doing 

 some brisk hauling in order to get their 

 stocks to market before they are hindered by 

 bad roads. It is not believed the supply of 

 timber to come down the river will be as 

 large is in former years. This is accounted 

 for by the rapid inroads that are being made 

 on the forests annually and the further fact 

 that the timber is being hauled to the rail- 

 roads for shipment as fast as it is cut. 



Memphis. 



The demand for hardwood lumber h^re is 

 r4Ctive; prices show a hardening tendency. 

 and the situation is better than it has been 

 at any time this season. Buyers who had 

 been holding out of the market pending the 

 raising of the ciuarantinc have come south 

 in increasing numbers during the past fort- 

 night and are now scouring the vicinity in 

 search .of dry stock. The idea prevails that 

 lumber can be had cheaper at the interior 

 mills than in Memphis, hence the rush to 

 these mills, but. when the car situation and 

 other conditions are taken into consideration. _ 

 many find this is not so and are coming 

 to Memphis for what they want. The for- 

 eign demand has not improved to any ap- 

 preciable extent and the volume of export 

 business is considerably below the average 

 for this time of the year. 



The most active items are plain oak. both 

 red and white, ash, cypress and the higher 

 grades of cottonwood, including box boards, 

 with prices very satisfactory. The higher 

 grades of these woods are in relatively better 

 demand than the lower. There is little if 

 any improvement in quarter-sawed oak. 

 Offerings are not large in either quarter- 

 sawed red or white oak. but the demand is 

 small, and the supply is ample. These styles 

 of oak miss the support which comes from 

 an active export demand. Gum is moving 

 fairly well in thin red stock, considerable 

 being exported, biit the lower grades are 

 rather slow. The demand for low-grade 

 cottonwood shows steady improvement owing 

 to the healthiness of the box trade of the 

 country and the limited supply of this mater- 

 ial, I^ow-grade poplar is in moderately good 

 demand. 



Recent heavy rains in the Memphis lumber 

 territory 'have rendered logging conditions 

 unsatisfactory again. Many of the smaller 

 mills have suspended operations because of 

 the Inability to get timber, but the big mills 

 which are well supplied with logs are run- 

 ning on full time. The unsatisfactoriness of 

 conditions is seen when it is known that 

 the smaller mills cut the bulk of the lumber 

 In this district. There is a scarcity of labor 

 and lumbermen in the interior again face 

 conditions, which from a producing stand- 

 point, are very unsatisfactory and wliich 

 give promise of a shortage of lumber for the 

 late winter and early spring trade. For this 

 reason, together with the brisk demand and 

 already reUttlvely light stock and dry lumber, 

 the trade here looks for some further stiften- 

 incr nf prifres as the season progresses. 



New Orleans. 

 Exporters of all classes of hardwoods in 

 and around New Orleans agree that demand 

 on the other side Is good. Inquiries and cable 

 orders are numerous. All say, however, that 

 prices have been thrown out of line by the 

 high ocean rates. During the past week about 

 the only stuff that moved in any volume was 

 that which went forward to fill contracts 

 made some time ago, or was shipped by ex- 

 porters who were fortunate enough to hold 

 tonnage contracts at rates which prevailed 

 a month or two months back. The tonnage 

 situation has been steadily growing ^vorse, 

 and It Is now very difficult to get any stuff 

 on shipboard, f'omplaint Is also becoming 

 I'f.iii.Kil regarding the car shortage, which 



is always worse with hardwood exporters than 

 with cypress manufacturers. 



Staves are reported more plentiful and 

 stocks of hardwood lumber generally have im- 

 proved slightly in quantity within the past 

 two weeks. Dressed staves are in about the 

 same not very satisfactory position, but the 

 demand for rough staves is steady, with 

 prices firm. Box shooks are reported in a 

 satisfactory condition, with prices good. 



The cypress market is reported healthy. 

 Throughout the year the volume of business 

 has been large and at all times stocks were 

 taken up promptly. Mills have been operated 

 practically without interruption, despite yel- 

 low fever, which did not interfere with busi- 

 ness to any extent. 



Lumber prices have been firmly maintained 

 and on Oct. 31 there was an advance of $2 

 per thousand on one to three-inch selects 

 and an advance of Jl per thousand on one 

 to two-inch shops. There will probably be 

 no fiH'ther advance in cypress lumber prices 

 for some time, although later it is expected 

 that some items will be advanced in order to 

 even up the list. 



Shingles are still in brisk demand, none of 

 the mills having a surplus of four, five and 

 six-inch bests. The recent advance has not 

 curtailed orders to any appreciable extent. 

 The feature of the past two weeks has been 

 the increase in the movement of lower grade 

 shingles and it is thought that mills will 

 v.'ork ofl; most of their lower grades before 

 the winter shall set in in earnest. 



Lath are also in excellent demand and cus- 

 tomers are still willing to pay a premium of 

 from twenty-five to fifty cents in order to get 

 orders filled promptly. 



Kansas City. 



The principal cause for complaint in this 

 part of the country now is the distressing- 

 car shortage. Hardwood dealers seem to suf- 

 fer more than others; for the past two or 

 three weeks their business has been greatly 

 hampered by the slowness of shipments. Not 

 only are they unable to fill carload orders 

 promptly but stocks in their yards are get- 

 ting low. through slow delivery from the 

 mills. Few mills are getting fifty percent of 

 the number of cars they need to take care 

 of their business properly. Some of the trade 

 here say that cars are likely to be more 

 scarce for the next thirty days than they 

 have been to date, while others say they do 

 not see how the situation can be worse, as 

 the railroad officials will hardly have the 

 nerve to lessen the number of cars they have 

 been supplying lately. 



Otherwise the situation is satisfactory. The 

 demand all along the line is active. Trade is 

 holding up unusually well and there is much 

 building in sight, which will require quanti- 

 ties of hardwoods; indications from the pres- 

 ent inquiry are that local demand will bc 

 fairly active until the first of the year a I 

 least. Furniture factories are reported to 

 be buying freely. The wagon stock trade is 

 excellent, both in oak and hickory, at highb 

 satisfactory prices. Planing mills all through 

 this territory are busy and the demand for 

 factory stock, both from planing mills and 

 sash and door factories, is active. Railroad 

 and car oak are in strong demand and whole- 

 salers here say that never before .-xt this 

 time of year has there been such a pro- 

 nounced inquiry for this material, and they 

 look for a steady demand from these sources 

 through the winter. Mills handling railroad 

 material are all considerably behind on orders 

 and few are In position to accept business foi- 

 anything like prompt shipment. 



Prices arc reported as firm as at any liiiir 

 this season and on some Items additional 

 strength has developed. Plain white oak is 

 easily the strongest Item, as It has been all 

 year. The mills have not been able to get 

 any stock iihiTid .■uid II Is being sold for 



shipment right from the saw in many in- 

 stances. The scarcity of white oak has re- 

 sulted in a steadily increasing demand for red 

 oak of late, naturally stimulating the price. 

 Many here are of the opinion that plain white 

 oak will be scarce throtigh the winter and 

 spring, as mills will not have many more 

 weeks to operate before bad weather compels 

 them to shut down or run on part time. While 

 other kinds of hardwoods are not plentiful at 

 the mills, the demand can be supplied. How- 

 ever, there is no disposition to reduce prices 

 and no weakness is noticeable, Cottonwood 

 is more active than it has been and gum is 

 growing scarcer with a firmer price tendency, 

 ^A'hile the mills have been running steadily 

 cf late they started in so short of stock that 

 they have not made much headway in accu- 

 mulating unsold lumber for future trade, 

 and will go into next year with unusually low 

 stocks. The general outlook for trade In all 

 kinds of lumber for the next six to eight 

 months is considered excellent by well-posted . 

 lumbermen here, and the indications are that 

 the present range of prices on hardwoods will 

 continue tlnough the winter and next spring. 



Minneapolis. 



The general verdict in regard to the local 

 hardwood market is that trade Is quiet. How- 

 ever, all feel optimistic over the situation and 

 the outlook for the future. The manufacturing 

 plants of the twin cities that use hardwoods 

 have all they can do. The fniniture people are 

 running twelve hours a day in an ciTort to catch 

 up on orders. They have stocked up heavily on 

 hardwoods, and ,1ust now are not buying much, 

 but they will surely have to replenish sup- 

 plies in a few weeks. Sash and door manufac- 

 turers are also very busy. The Chicago trade 

 has been excellent and shipments of birch have 

 been made into that market as fast as cars could 

 be secured to carry the stock. Everything Indi- 

 cates an unusually heavy demand for hardwood 

 stocks this winter, which will leave the yards 

 picked pretty clean in the spring. 



'Phe price situation is stronger than at any 

 time this year. Low-grade stock is especially 

 strong. ' Rasswood calls have risen $1 a thou- 

 sand lately, and are likely to go up again. Box 

 maiiufai turers have been buying' heavily for their 

 wir'tiT 1 Is, and the advance on pine has been 



Haakwood 

 Maple Flooring 



A trial will con- 

 vince you that our 

 Flooring with its 

 Perfect Joints and 

 Surface is the most 

 economical to use, 

 easy to handle, 

 thorouglily satis- 

 factory. May wc 



HAAK LUMBER CO. 



Haakwood, Mich. 



JANNEY-WHITINQ LUMBER COMPANY 



wiiiii.i sAi.i CASH mni Ks di 

 SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN WHITE PINE AND HARD- 

 WOODS, SQUARES, BALUSTER STOCK, ETC. 

 Yard and Ollicp 1 151 Bench St. Pior 52 Norlh Wharvf s 

 PHII.ADIiLPMIA, PA. 



