HARDWOOD RECORD 



J' 



still a good demand for liiii' Iku'iIwoucI t'oi iu- 

 teiior house finish. 



Prices on all hardwoods ari- strong. Pop- 

 lar leads in this respect. No advance in quo- 

 tations has been announced, but several firms 

 report that they are selling above list, a con- 

 dition that is warranted by the increasing de- 

 mand for good stock. For all grades of red 

 and white oak there is a brisk market, and 

 much heavy stock is being sold for construc- 

 tion purposes. Car material is in active de- 

 mand also. Maple is a rapid seller for floor- 

 ing, but other lines are moving slowly. Chest- 

 nut meets an active demand at eastern mar- 

 kets and in Ohio, the call being greater than 

 the visible supply, causing a stiffening of 

 prices at the mills. Beech and birch are minor 

 quantities on the wholesalers' lists. Hickory 

 and ash are selling well among the carriage, 

 handle and automobile manufacturers. Most 

 of this lumber is being taken from the smaller 

 mills in Western Pennsyl\-ania and Ohio, and 

 this year will mark nearly the close of this 

 business, for the supply is practically ex- 

 hausted. 



Local firms are still making large purchases 

 of timber for next year's trade and are in- 

 vesting largely in machinery to increase their 

 output. A firm feeling prevails that next year 

 will exceed this in the total of sales, as the 

 outlook for building and construction work 

 is excellent. 



Buffalo. 



Lumber moves well, although the hard- 

 ■noods are not on the average as active as 

 white and yellow pine and hemlock and there 

 is prospect of this difference being kept up 

 for some time. It is said that hardwood 

 prices are low and not very uniform, but the 

 demand is so close to the supply that it ought 

 to be easy to command a good price for every- 

 thing. 



There is a remarkable call for chestnut, 

 which has been taking the place of plain oak. 

 The drain is so great that there is scarcely 

 any chestnut left in the city. Birch is also 

 In strong demand in place of quartered oak, 

 so that there is a prediction that all oak will 

 go up soon, as there is not birch or chestnut 

 enough to meet the demand. 



Ash is rather more active than formerly and 

 if black ash could be had in quantity there 

 would be a big trade in it. The supply of 

 white ash is apparently better than it used 

 to be and the trade is of larger proportions 

 than was supposed possible when the supply 

 began to run down some years ago. Maple 

 and basswood are without change, only in 

 fair demand and prices are not strong. Elm 

 is scarce and not much used. Cypress is go- 

 ing up and poplar is doing fairly well. Shin- 

 gles are almost out of market. 



Cincinnati. 



The excellent condition of the hardwood 

 trade continues, according to the dealers and 

 manufacturers. There is only one discoiirag- 

 ing feature and that is the difficulty in secur- 

 ing a sufficient number of cars. Mucli trouble 

 is also being felt In getting receipts here when 

 scheduled. During the past two weeks plain 

 oak has held its position as leader of the list 

 in strength and activity. Stocks have been 

 short and there is little likelihood of an in- 

 crease in the near future. Quartered white, 

 of desirable grades, and red in firsts and sec- 

 onds, have moved at a rapid clip and proved 

 excellent property. Ash has been a prime 

 seller, ranking second to plain oak. Chestnut 

 and hickory sell readily in all dimensions, and 

 prices therein have been sustained on a firm 

 basis. High grade poplar remained firm under 

 urgent calls, but the lower jrrades failed to 

 arouse much interest on the part of con- 

 sumers. Box boards and other upper grades 

 of Cottonwood have had a fine sale, while red 



gum maintained its previous standing. The 

 demand for all woods has been principally 

 from domestic sotirces with only a sprinkling 

 of foreigii orders received. 



De'troit. 



The car shortage is acting as a sort of 

 safety valve on hardwood trade in Detroit 

 and vicinit\'. The shortage is considered by 

 local dealers actually providential, as there 

 is no surplus in Detroit yards, and everything 

 is moving rapidly. As one dealer says, "If 

 there were enough cars, the dealers would 

 make gluttons of themselves." Red oak is 

 still scarce, but there is plenty of white oak. 

 The local market is holding up well and the 

 outlook is very good. 



Sagina-w 'Valley. 



Trade in hardwood lumber usually lets up 

 a little at this season of the year, but it 

 is limited now only by the inability 1f» 

 get cars. The car famine has never hee.i 

 more acute and there is no prospect of a let- 

 up before spring. Every lumber firm on the 

 river is calling for cars and some of the larger 

 concerns are badly handicapped. One of the 

 large firms is from 60 to 100 cars short every 

 week in its requirements, and the effect on 

 business under such conditions can readily be 

 understood. 



Maple which, as is well known, constitutes 

 by far the largest proportion of hardwood 

 stock produced in eastern Michigan has been 

 rather slow during the greater portioti of 

 the season. A year ago maple lumber was 

 quite active, but maple flooring was slow. 

 This season conditions have been reversed 

 and while maple lumber has been dull and 

 its sale forced in many instances, the maple 

 flooring industry has been active and prices 

 $3 and $4 a thousand better than last year. 

 Of late, however, the conditions in maple lum- 

 ber have improved and there is now more in- 

 quiry for it than for some time. Some con- 

 tracts are being made, indicating confidence 

 in the market for the future and prices ap- 

 pear to be firmer. There is considerable maple 

 in the hands of dealers and manufacturers, 

 but some of the larger concerns dispose of 

 the bulk of their output by contract for the 

 year's cut and consequently these are out of 

 market. There is also more inquiry tor bass- 

 wood and prices look better. The output of 

 basswood in this locality is not excessive. Ash 

 has held its own and no difficulty has been 

 experienced in getting rid of it. A number 

 of nice lots have been picked up during the 

 month. Birch is doing better and although in 

 limited quantity, the demand promises to con- 

 sume all during the winter. There is some 

 elm, oak and beech coming in but not in large 

 quantities. There is very little oak left and 

 it is found generally in lots of a few thousand 

 feet and scattered. 



Taken altogether the existing conditions are 

 reasonably satisfactory both as regards stocks 

 in liand, the volume of trade and prices. Un- 

 less all signs fail the coming year will be 

 even better than the present one and manu- 

 facturers and dealers are making plans to gei 

 all there is in it. 



Grand Bapids. 



Tlie demand for hardwoods in local circles 

 is reported good. The recent advance of 10 

 percent decided on at the Chicago meeting 

 of the National Association of Case Goods 

 Manufacturers is having its effect on the 

 hardwood market. 



Plain sawed oak continues stiff, basswood 

 is moving better and there is a notable im- 

 provement all along the line. 



Milwaukee. 



The hardwood market in this locality has 

 shown no marked change during the past 

 fortnight, altln ugh there has been an increase 



in the inquiry for oak and ash and a some- 

 what better demand for birch and basswood. 

 The furniture men are the most active in tlieir 

 quest for hardwoods and many large sales 

 in that quarter have been made within the 

 last few days. Building operations which will 

 be carried well through the winter are ex- 

 pected to furnish a steady market for woods 

 for interior finish. The scarcity of oak is held 

 responsible for present conditions in that com- 

 modity. Prices have remained practically sta- 

 tionary during the past two weeks, although 

 it would occasion no surprise if they would 

 stiffen at any time. The expected relief in 

 the car situation has not come. The lack of 

 any considerable surplus in stocks is at- 

 tributed to the fact that there has been a 

 decreased activity in the hardwood fields of 

 the South. Yellow fever and floods have been 

 a serious handicap to logging operations in 

 that section and the result is that they have 

 not entered the North with their stock to any 

 extent. Local dealers in hardwood look for 

 a brisk trade, practically all through the win- 

 ter, and they are making preparations for a 

 big season next year. 



Bristol. 



While a most roseate view is still main- 

 tained by the lumbermen of this section the 

 market has been a little quiet for the past 

 ten days, although prices remain about the 

 same. Stocks in the local yards are noi quite 

 as large as usual. There is possibly one ex- 

 ception to the statement for at one mill quite 

 a large quantity of walnut lumber has been 

 accumulated for export and will be moved at 

 once. 



Chattanooga. 



During the past thirty days there has been 

 a very marked increase in the demand for 

 lumber, especially poplar, oak and chestnut. 

 The demand for both plain and quartered oak 

 is steadily increasing. The supply in the 

 Chattanooga market is nothing like equal to 

 the present requirements of the trade, and is 

 lower than at any time since 1900. Prices 

 are being refused almost every day that 

 would have been readily accepted thirty days 

 ago. The demand tor poplar is showing an 

 activity that is causing stocks to move at 

 much better prices than have prevailed for 

 the last eighteen months. A canvass of the 

 .situation the country over clearly shows that 

 there are but very light stocks of poplar, oak 

 and chestnut at mills or at the prominent 

 distributing points. Delivery of logs to the 

 mills by river will hardly begin for thirty 

 days or longer, and then it will be ninety days 

 to four months before the first lumber cut 

 will be ready to ship. During that time nearly 

 everything in shipping condition will have 

 been ciosed out. It would not be at all sur- 

 prising to see all grades of oak and poplar 

 lumber advance $:i to $5 per thousand before 

 the first of February. Ash is in strong de- 

 mand with very limited supplies of good stock 

 to fill orders. 



Tlie receipts of logs the coming year will 

 be the smallest of any year since 18S5 in the 

 Chattanooga district, and on account of the 

 scarcity and high price of standing timber the 

 same conditions will prevail at nearly all 

 prominent lumber-producing points in this 

 section of the South. The demand for box 

 material in this market has never been greater 

 than at present. Poplar wagon box boards 

 are in active demand and there is probably 

 not a carload to be found in Chattanooga to- 

 day. Poplar squares are practically out of 

 stock in this city. There is a fair supply of 

 No. 2 and No. 3 common poplar and sound 

 wormy chestnut, and a liberal supply of No. 1 

 common poplar, but in No. 2 and saps and 

 wagon box boards the market is practically 

 exhausted. 



