HARDWOOD RECORD 



29 



Memphis. 



The demand for hardwood lumber con- 

 tinues fair, the vohime of business being about 

 as large as the Hmited offerings will allow. 

 Buyers are coming to this section in htrge 

 numbers and they are taking all available 

 stock just about as fast as it is in market- 

 able shape. They are not standing off because 

 of prices, being glad to get what they want 

 at any figure within the bounds of reason. 

 JVIost of the call is still from domestic sources, 

 very few orders for lumber for export are 

 received, except in certain specialties which 

 are in good request abroad. 



Plain oak is much wanted and there is com- 

 paratively little to be had. This is forcibly 

 illustrated in the statement made recently 

 by a lumberman here that he is cutting green 

 plain oak to be delivered immediately after it 

 leaves the saw. Prices are strongly held. 

 These statements apply to both red and whli« 

 and to all grades. Quarter-sawed oak has 

 >hown but little change, prices are firm and 

 tifferings are not large. It still appears to be 

 a question 01 limited demand brought about 

 l)y the dullness of the foreign markets and 

 the substitution of other woods therefor. 



Ash and cypress are both active. Prices 

 are firm, with a higher tendency, while offer- 

 ings are not large. The production of cypress 

 has been interfered with by recent rains. 

 Red gum is holding its own well. Improve- 

 ment is reported in the demand for clear 

 saps as also common and cull grades. Cotton- 

 wood is improving steadily. Prices are firm 

 and the trade makmg a specialty of it are 

 looking for better prices. Stocks are very 

 light and the visible supply is the smallest 

 in recent years. Poplar shows very little 

 change. There is a fairly good demand for 

 low-grade stock and a good call for firsts and 

 seconds. 



Weather conditions in this territory have 

 been more favorable during the past fort- 

 jiight and better progress is reported in get- 

 ting out logs and in the. operation of mills. 

 Altogether the production is somewhat im- 

 proved, but it is still far from .satisfactory 

 and the amount of lumber going on sticks, 

 generally speaking, is far below the average 

 tor this time of year. 



JANNEY.WHITINQ LUMBER COMPANY 



\VHOLi:SALIi CASH BlTyuRS 01- 



SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN WHITE PINE AND HARD- 

 WOODS. SQUARES. BALUSTER STOCK. ETC. 

 Yard and OHice 1 151 Beach Si. Pier 52 North Wharves 

 PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



WHITING MANUFACTURING COMPANY 



MANUFACTUKF.RS ( 'F 



BAND SAWN STOCK WIDTHS IN 

 HARDWOODS AND WHITE PINE 



ELIZABETHTON, - - 



TENNESSEE 



[cottonwoodI 



GUM and HARDWOODS 



PAEPCKELEICHTLOMBERCO.! 



Mills: 

 ' Cairo. IH. 

 Marked Tree. Ark. 

 Arkansas City, Ark. 

 / Biytheville, Ark. 

 / Greenville, Miss. 



General Offices: 



Tribune Building, 



Kansas City. 



The hardwood people here say that the de- 

 mand continues active both locally and from 

 the outside, and that prospects arc good for 

 the boolcin;': of a good many orders before the 

 end of December. While other centers have 

 reported slack trade at times this fall. Kansas 

 (Mty dealers have had no complaints to make 

 along this line at any time this season, and 

 for the past month or more their complaint 

 has been the inability to secure sufficient stocks 

 to i^upply their trade satisfactorily. This of 

 course has largely been on account of the very 

 inadequale car supply, although mill stocks are 

 light and lumber in shipping condition lias 

 been more or less difficult to get throughcnit 

 the year. There is now an unusually large 

 inquiry for so late in the year, which covers 

 all grades and kinds of lumber. 



The purely local demand has never been as 

 a(tive as this fall. Dealers here say that their 

 local trade will in all probability be quite ac- 

 tive through the winter and that the prospects 

 for business for the first half of next year are 

 of the most flattering nature. The demand for 

 factory stock of all kinds is entirely satis- 

 factory and the call for car and railroad ma- 

 terial has ne\er been as strong at this time 

 of year. 



The scarcity of cars at the hardwood mills 

 of the South is still giving much trouble. Dur- 

 ing the past few days some improvement was 

 reported, and shipments seem to be coming for- 

 ward a little more freely. Whether this is a 

 permanent or only a temporary improvement is 

 hard to tell. As corn is beginning to move 

 freely in this territory and cotton shipments 

 are now heavy in the South, the indications are 

 not at al! favorable for any material improve- 

 ment in the ear situation this month. 



Hardvroods. like everything else in the lum- 

 ber Hue. are showing extraordinary hrmness as 

 the year closes. Tsually about this time prices 

 begin to sag and manufacturers and whole- 

 salers are skirmishing for orders. This is not 

 the case this year, and prices are higher and 

 firmer than at any time previous this year, and 

 it is predicted that any further changes in the 

 lists during the next sixty days will be in the 

 nature of advances. Dealers here say that with- 

 in the past two weeks plain oak has advanced 

 about $2.."0 per thousand, gum .^1.50 per thou- 

 sand, poplar .$2.. "ill per thousand, and that Cot- 

 tonwood, which has been firm for some time, 

 shows advancing tendencies. Louisiana cypress 

 advanced about $2 per thousand a month ago, 

 and more recently Arkansas cypress has gone 

 up .$1 to .'?2 per thousand. These advances arc 

 attributed to the general sho'rtage of stocks 

 at the mills, coupled with the present active 

 demand, and the indications of a continued 

 heavy call for stock through the winter. While 

 the mills have been running steadily for sev- 

 eral months, they were so far behind after 

 seven or eight months of bad weather that they 

 have not been able to accumulate any stock 

 and the close of the year will find most mills 

 with little or no stock on hand not already 

 contracted for. 



To sum up the situation briefly, the outlook 

 Las never been better at this time of year and 

 stocks are so light that all mills will have 

 all the business tendered them that they can 

 possibly handle for an indefinite period. These 

 conditions are bound to stimulate the markets 

 and very firm prices are expected to rule 

 through the winter. 



CHICAGO 



•^ 



Minneapolis. 



Wbile the market at present is strong ou 

 small sales, with no great activity, there is a 

 feeiing of strengtii and security for the future, 

 whicii keeps prices at a stiff levei and prevents 

 any feeling of disquiet or dissatisfaction. The 

 factory trade, which is about all there is to 

 the market at this season, except the rail- 



roads and a few other large consumers, is buy- 

 ing only for immediate use, and will hardly 

 l/egin to stock up again on a large scale until 

 after the first of the year. The small busi- 

 ness they are turning in is not to be despised, 

 however, and in basswood and elm it is cutting 

 some Ugure. The oaks are active still, with 

 so little northern slock in sight as to count 

 lor almo.^t nothing. White oak timbers are 

 Leing tak»n Ijy railroads and bridge contractors. 

 Stocks are now well concentrated in strong 

 bands, and there is a determination to get full 

 value for the lemaining lumber, which is cer- 

 tain to be needed to supply demand by next 

 spring. Locally there is a fair call for birch 

 and maple as flooring and also for red oak. 

 Elm is strong and in fair demand. All the 

 factories are busy and expect to lay in larger 

 supplies of stock in January. Basswood culls 

 are strong and beginning to show scarcit.v, be- 

 cause 01 their use as a substitute for pine in 

 the box factories. 



Louisville. 



There has been a decided bullish tendency in 

 the poplar market here of late, owing to the 

 fact that a number of mills which log by river 

 have cleaned up their season's supply of logs. 

 Since this shortage developed, however, there 

 b,",ve been some pretty heavy rains and good tides 

 in the rivers, but it is reported that very few 

 of the mills had logs ready to bring out on the 

 tides. The softening of the country roads seri- 

 ously handicaps hauling in the woods, so that 

 any advantage that may have been gained by 

 the recent rains will be offset, and the tendency 

 of the poplar market is still toward higher prices. 



The demand for oak continues brisk. Car ma- 

 terial is still one of the most active items on the 

 list, while buyers of wagon material and agricul- 

 tm-ai implement wood are placing liberal con-' 

 tracts right along. A feature of the present de- 

 mand for car oak is that while the foreign mar- 

 ket on most woods is rather dull just now. there 

 is an active inquiry for car material for foreign 

 r.iarkets. These foreign inquiries are not quite 

 v.hat might be wished for, since the specifica- 

 tions call for pi-aeticaliy clear stock, some of it 

 trading what would be called strictly firsts. 

 Maturally. with the present domestic trade active, 

 these foreign inquiries with their rigid specifica- 

 tions are not receiving favorable attention. In 

 fact, it is hard to find a man that will quote on 

 them at all. 



The market on red gum is fair. Local manu- 

 facturers are consuming a good volume of gum. 

 but there is not at pre-sent any indication of a 

 stiffening in prices, especially on lower grades 

 which make up the bulk of the consumption here. 



Iiondon. 



Arrivals of lumber have not been heavy for 

 some time past owing to the heavy increase in 

 freight rates, but this is a good time to warn 

 importers against making shipments which will 

 ;irrive about the latter part of lyecember, as 

 that is a had time for selling. As mentioned in 

 this correspondence a fortnight ago, there has 

 been a serious failure of a London lumber con- 

 cern and this has undoubtedly restricted trade 

 somewhat. 



A fair amount of business is doing at the mo- 

 ment, attention being paid to dock stocks, for 

 which prices show a firm tone. 



Plain oak boards of prime quality are in good 

 demand, but as the American is not forthcoming 

 attention is being paid to the European oaks. 

 Planks of export quality are in good demand at 

 full prices. Quartered is difficult to sell. 



Whitewood prime dressed stocks are In de- 

 mand at fair prices ; planks are not asked for. 

 nor are medium and cull grades in great demand. 

 Satin walnut is not plentiful and full prices are 

 being demanded for stocks held here. 



The deniiiud for black walnut is not large and 

 supplies though light are ample. 



Ash and hickory planks are in good demand. 



