32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



quartered oak is also picking up to some ex- 

 tent. There is a good call for ash, inch and 

 thicker, and the volume of the business being 

 done in this wood is more satisfactory than 

 in recent weeks. Receipts are somewhat 

 hampered by the continued car shortage, ship- 

 ments from some of the mill points being 

 wofuHy backward just at this time. 



Kansas City. 



Trade witli the hardwood dealers liiis been 

 active through the month. The inquiry has been 

 steadily strong, and. contrary to the usual ex- 

 perience in December, the inquiry has grown 

 heavier as the month advanced. Thn)ugh the 

 entire jear business has been active in all lines. 

 Heavy building operations at Kansas City have 

 ^■iven the dealers a local business for the .vear 

 in excess of any previous twelve mnntbs. and 

 present indications are that the next six months 

 will be fully as active. The demand fnim outside 

 points has also been steadily satisfactory, and 

 as stocks at the mills have been lighl and hai'd 

 to get promptly, dealers have had as nnicb busi- 

 ness as they have been able to handle with any 

 degree of satisfaction. Kor some Hems the de- 

 mand is iu excess of the supply, as wagon stock. 

 car material and plain white oak of the better 

 grades. Dealci-s have been badly handicapped 

 Ihis month in getting slock finm the mills owing 

 to the i-ar shortage, which has been ninre general 

 than any jjrevious lime. The railroad companies 

 give little pi'omise of early improveincnl. so that 

 shipments will probably drag for the next month 

 or moi'e. 



Krom present appearances, buyers are going 

 uv have trouble in getting sutticient stock to sup- 

 Idy their needs duiing the early part of next 

 year, and the scarcity of lumber at the milis 

 will be as great as during the forepart of the iires- 

 ent year. The mills were only able to run to ad- 

 vantage during the past four or five months, and 

 the bad weather has again set in thrnughout the 

 southern hardwood mill districts. Hardwood 

 men report snow as far south as central Ar- 

 kansas. .Tnd rain from there doSvn toward the 

 gulf. With Ihe exception of a few of the lar- ■ 

 gest mills, the supply of logs on hand is very 

 low, and bad weather means ditlicully in get 

 ling logs, and interrupted mill runs. There is 

 scarcely any lumber in shipping condit^m at 

 any of Ihe mills, and the shortage of stock will 

 probably hi' greater at Hie beginning of the new 

 .\car than ever before. The tiullish tendency on 

 all kinds of lunitier is a plain indication of the 

 general scarcity of stock, and iln- ycm i-; ilcising 

 with all markets very firm. 



Nashville, 



The close of the year llllJ,'. linds .Nasbvilli- 

 ruily plea.sed becau.se It Is the holldtiy season, 

 but because business is better than they have 

 lumbermen wreathed in smiles. They are not 

 • ver known It before. They are cliecking up for 

 the year and all are satisfied with results. 

 Kverybody has all the oi'deis he can lill. lumber 

 of all kinds Is bringing good prices, and the 

 indications are that even better tlgures will be 

 realized. ICverythIng points to the season of 

 I!i0(i opening with a rush, with ordeis enough 

 ahead to keep dealers busy for months. The 

 early tides In t'umherland river, which have 

 appeared several weeks sooner than usual, have 

 cnablefl dealers to g€t hold of niori* Itimbcr at 

 this time than was ex|ipcted, but at that the 

 supply Is not enough to suggest lowering of 

 prices. 



The market Is steady and with an upward ten- 

 dency all llic while. Lumbermen see no clouds 

 on the horizon ; conditions look rosy to them, 

 ttak, plain and i|iiartered. chestnut, ash. hickory, 

 I'oplar : all are In gi od demand. (Quartered oak 

 moving more freely than formerly. 



Memphis. 



any time this season. There is practically no 

 falling off reported, as is usual at this season. 

 and the year is rounding out with a full head 

 of steam. The foreign situation shows practi- 

 cally no betterment. Offerings are generally lini 

 ited in shipping dry stock and this, together with 

 the good demand therefor, is resulting iu a 

 further stiffening of values. Trices now heiUK 

 paid are on almost every item the best of Ibi' 

 year, but the trade is strongly of the opinion 

 that stiil better prices are to be sec'ured nricr 

 the turn of the new year. 



Conditions surrounding production show very 

 little improv,'>menl. A large manufacturer, with 

 mill in eastern Arkansas, is authority for the 

 statement that, iu his experience of nineteen 

 years, he has never seen so much water on 1 In- 

 ground and that be has never seen the prmhu- 

 tion of lumber .so handicapped by unfavorable 

 weather as it has been during the past few 

 months. The upshot of these conditions is not 

 only :: scarcit.v of lumber f^u- immediate use ijui 

 also ji decided shortage in amount now heini; 

 placed on sticks to supply the dem.inds of ilie 

 late winter and ear.l.v spring. Moreover, the tim 

 her jupply Is very light, with little prospect ot 

 material increase, and this is another factor 

 contributing to tlic strong position nf snntheni 

 liardwoods. 



Plain oak is in \ ery active ilciiiaiid for Imih 

 red and white, while the supply Is limited. There 

 is some improvement reported in the call for 

 quarter sawed white oak, lint (luarter sawed red 

 Is very quiet. The price of plain red has :id 

 vanced materially. And yet. in the face of the 

 comparative dullness of quartered oak. there is 

 not much accumulation of holdings. In f.tet. 

 lumbermen here say that a normal demand would 

 soon take up e%'ery thing available. Ash and 

 cypress are in excellent demand at full prices. 

 w'hile Cottonwood and gum are in more active 

 request than heretofore. Trices on both of these 

 items are stiffening right along, and itbe situa- 

 tion is much better tiian even a month ago. 

 There is no item scarcer than Cottonwood with 

 the single exception of plain oak, and what is 

 available is bringing about what the seller asks 

 for it, Toplar is gainltig ground to some extent 

 and a very satisfactory movement is reported in 

 this wood. 



The outlook is prono\ineed by the trade as very 

 satisfactory so far as demand and prices are 

 concerned, but there are some misgivings when 

 it comes to the delivery of lumber because of the 

 scarcity of cars and the shortage of dry stock 

 An active demand is anticipated early in the new 

 .vear and prices are. in the opinion of the trade 

 here, almost certain to advance above the current 

 level on every item of the list. 



The year Is drawing to a ilosc with a better 

 oemaud for lumber than has been experienced 



Minneapolis, 



The general siiualimi is one of expectanc.v. 

 with every iiromise of a fihe run of business 

 in hardwoods beginning soon after January 1. 

 when the factories have completed their Inven' 

 tories, made their plans, and are ready to 

 start on 1908 operations. This Is evidenced not 

 only by the activity In the factories and by the 

 gtnerni prosperity In which the Northwest is 

 sharing, but by the attitude of buyers. Th<y 

 are ln<|ulrlng for stocks and prices, and 

 the size of the Inquiries goes to .show that 

 when they buy It will not be In the hand-ti]- 

 mouth fasldon, which has prevailed for the 

 past few months. The large consumers are 

 well aciiualnted with current conditions. They 

 understand that the stock they car^ use Is 

 quite limited In supply and held In strong 

 hands. It Is quite likely that a shortage will 

 develop in some items, so It Is- the part of 

 wisdom to place orders now; also jirlces will 

 not be any lower. Not many orders are being 

 l)laced just now by the factories, but some are 

 buying ahead of time. Altogether the present 

 season Is the liveliest hardwood men have 

 known for the fortnight befr»re holidays, when 

 they usually llnd things dull. It makes them 



Haakwood 

 Maple Flooring 



A trial will coii- 

 iuce you thai our 

 FloorinE with its 

 Perfect Joints and 

 Surface is the most 

 eiouomical to use, 

 easy to handle, 

 thoroughly satis- 

 factory, isiay we 

 riUdtf- vou * ; 



HAAK LUMBER CO. 



Haakwood, Mich. 



WALNUr. 

 OAK, 

 ASH, 

 POPUR. 



Bliss-Cook Oak Co. 



BLISSVILLE. 



ARKANSAS 



M A N U F A C T U K E R S 



Hardwood 

 Lu mber 



■ and — 



Flooring 



\Vc inuiiufacturc ln.iX)U.(K'U fed nf Oak 

 Ijumbcr prr .ve;ir for export and ilome.>lic 

 markets, from }'d to 4 Inches thick. 



Also Quartered and Plain Poltsbed Oak 

 I'Moorinj,'. kiln dried, end matched, hollow 

 buck. 



MILLS AND 



, PLANTS *T 



SHULTS AND BLISSVILLE, ARK. 



CYPRESS 



We make i specialty of rough or 

 dressed Cypress Lumber and Cypress 

 Shinnies in strainhl or mixed cars. 

 Your iiKjuiries solicited for single car 

 orders or good round lots. Can also fur- 

 tiisli Sound Cypress niiiiensioii Stock. 



The Borcherding Lumber Co. 



Northern Oilier, 



CINCINNATI, OHIO, 



