HARDWOOD RECORD 



31 



marked than usual, however, during the holidays. 

 Retailers are talking stock and are not placing 

 any orders except for immediate use. Salesmen 

 have been staying "in town" mostly for two 

 weeks, but will scatter again by the first ot next 

 week. 



Generally speaking, everything points to a very 

 satisfactory year ahead. It is hardly expected 

 that the same ratio of gain will be maintained 

 over last year's business which 1905 showed over 

 the trade of 1904, which was twenty percent. 

 Such a gain is rarely made in such a large line 

 of business as the lumber industry and for two 

 consecutive years it would be almost miracu- 

 lous, especially when last year's sales reached 

 the wonderful total of 3,000,000.000 feet. Deal- 

 ers look for a good building year and a conse- 

 quent large demand for hardwoods. Most of 

 those who own sawmills are going to increase 

 their output when spring opens. The experiences 

 of the last year have shown that the present 

 mills are inadequate to take care of the tremen- 

 dous call for lumber, and local dealers are anx- 

 ious to reap a larger harvest next year. 



There are few price changes to be noted. 

 Everything in hardwoods is firm at prevailing 

 quotations. Oak is a little more plentiful, but the 

 prices still tend upward, especially on quar- 

 ter-sawed stock. For maple and the other hard- 

 woods dealers report a brisk demand with some 

 higher quotations imminent. Lath is extremely 

 scarce and the demand for high grade shingles 

 is one that cannot be met by Pittsburg firms at 

 present. 



The most notable feature uf the trade just 

 now is the increased call for hardwood from the 

 factories. All over the central states, particu- 

 larly in Ohio and Indiana, come more inquiries 

 for dry hardwood, ash, hickory, chestnut, oak, 

 maple and other woods of which the factories 

 have only a limited supply. This call is hard 

 to satisfy now as the stock at the mills is low 

 and much of it green. 



Buffalo. 



The hardwood lumber trade is good for the 

 time of the year and can hardly fail to improve 

 as the season advances, especially if the furni- 

 ture expositions turn out well. Actual sales are 

 always light at the beginning of the year, on 

 account of the holiday season and the invento- 

 ries, still the Buffalo hardwood yards have been 

 active right along. There has been a rush for 

 chestnut ever since it was found that it could 

 be made to work in as a substitute for plain 

 oak,, till every member of the trade is hunting 

 for it far and wide. The supply is not increas- 

 ing. 



Producers of oak say that they look for an 

 advance, of quartered oak at least, if only on 

 account ot the higher price of logs. It is 

 stated by hardwood dealers from the Southwest 

 that logs are comiug in slow. In some sections 

 there is so much rain that logging has not been 

 pushed, and as the demand is active the shortage 

 will soon be apparent. Birch is used for quar- 

 tered oak as much as possible, but the supply is 

 light and oak is not very much affected by it. 



Ash still meets with an active demand, white 

 being about fairly plentiful, and black and brown 

 always less than the demand. Prices are fair. 

 The neglect of elm continues, and though some 

 dealers find maple and basswood doing better 

 they are still dragging behind most other hard- 

 woods. 



There is a conflict in the report on poplar, con- 

 sumers and jobbers being afraid that the mills 

 will put it up too high again before long and 

 producers noting that the cut is hung up in 

 many sections by lack of water to move the 

 logs, so that the supply may be very light. 

 Cypress is doing well. 



lumber is sold for delivery that is yet in the 

 log and some manufacturers have contracted all 

 Ihey will saw up to the middle of the summer. 

 Indicatious point to a continuation of the good 

 trade that has been experienced in maple floor- 

 ing, and the demand for rough maple lumber Is 

 in consequence quite good. There is every rea- 

 son to expect that it will be much better this 

 season than last. Some oak logs jire coming 

 here to be manufactured, and a number of local 

 dealers buy oak in small lots all over the state 

 nnd in other states which is brought here and 

 liaiulled in the trade or sold direct from the 

 Iiurchasing point. Prices are strong for oak. 

 Ash lumber is good property and local stocks are 

 not large. There is also a fair movement in 

 basswood, elm, birch and beech lumber. Stocks 

 in the hands of dealers and manufacturers avail- 

 able for immediate market purposes are low. A 

 large quantity of stock will be manufactured 

 during the winter, but it will not be in shipping 

 condition for some time. 



Trade has been greatly hindered by reason of 

 the scarcity of cars, but the congestion is not 

 so pronounced as it was thirty days ago. There 

 has been no snow in the valley to date more 

 than enough to whiten the ground, and thor- 

 oughfares are dry and dusty, but up in the log- 

 ging districts there has been more or less snow 

 the last three weeks and log hauling is In prog- 

 ress, though the swamps are not frozen hard, as 

 the weather has been mild for this latitude. It 

 has been fine weather for sawing and shipping 

 li'.mber ana the conditions governing the indus- 

 try have never been more favorable. 



Sagina-w 'Valley. 



The hardwood trade Is much better than usual 

 at this season of the year. A large quantity of 



Bristol. 



The year is starting out with most favorable 

 conditions and it is expected that the remaining 

 winter months and the early spring will see 

 even better trade conditions, and above ail a 

 better supply of stock. The supply has recently 

 been short and it has become more a question 

 of getting the stock than selling it. Lumbermen 

 in Bristol and surrounding territory have great 

 faith in the foreign markets, as an evidence of 

 which the export business has almost doubled 

 within a year. 



With few exceptions, the mills are all running 

 to their fullest capacity, and so far during the 

 winter little- or no delay has been encountered 

 on account of the usually bad weather. 



Cincinnati. 



The year 1906 was brightly inaugurated, so 

 far as the local hardwood market was concerned. 

 The demand since the beginning of the year has 

 displayed improvement as compared with De- 

 cember, the closing days of which produced a 

 lull. Furniture and wagon manufacturers are 

 placing heavy orders, building operations are 

 merrily going on, and the inquiry from foreign 

 sources shows evidence of forthcoming good busi- 

 ness. Prices are being firmly maintained on 

 ail grades and the prospects of stiff advances 

 before spring are better now than at any time 

 in the last two months. Plain oak and ash in 

 desirable thicknesses continue the best sellers, 

 with quartered oak. cypress and chestnut fol- 

 lowing closely. Red gum and cottonwood are 

 moving freely. Poplar shows no change. Gen- 

 erally speaking, yards here are not burdened 

 with dry stocks. 



Chattanooga. 



The new year begins with more active demands 

 for lumber than at any time since Jan. 1, 1904. 

 Stocks in the Chattanooga market are light, 

 there being less high-grade lumber in the hands 

 of the mills and dealers than at the beginning 

 of any year since 1895. 



Ash Is In great demand, but the supply is 

 very limited. There is an active demand tor 

 the low grades of poplar, a condition that has 

 not existed before for two years. Most of the 

 mills operating In poplar have had a surplus of 

 low-grade stock for the past eighteen months. 

 Inquiries are now coming in and sales being 



made at a rapid rate, and as a consequence 

 prices have materially Increased, with indica- 

 tions of further advances during the next two 

 months. 



Just now there is an unusual demand for oak, 

 which Chattanooga mills and dealers are unable 

 to supply on account of the scarcity of stock. 

 The time has past when logs are brought to Chat- 

 tanooga by river for sale after they arrive. The 

 mills have their buyers at work along the Ten- 

 nessee river and its tributaries, and practically 

 all logs are contracted for, measured and graded 

 before they start down the river. Quite a num- 

 ber of logs, very largely pine aud oak, came 

 down in December, probably about 2,000,000 feet, 

 which was a large receipt for the month. 



St. Louis. 



The new year has opened up for the hardwood 

 trade with every sign of encouragement, both as 

 to demand aud prices. Of course, the actual 

 business placed the past two weeks has been 

 small compared with that of several weeks ear- 

 lier. This was to be expected at the closing of 

 one year and the opening of another. But for all 

 that, dealers are well satisfied with prevailing 

 conditions. Receipts are not what they should 

 be, owing to low stocks at producing points and 

 weather conditions, which have not been at all 

 favorable to logging operations. The market for 

 poplar is strong, with plain red oak and ash 

 also in good movement at firm prices. Ash has 

 fared better of late and is in distinctly better 

 price position, too. Cypress sells easily and dry 

 stock Is In strong demand at full list prices. 

 One of the leading dealers in this wood has just 

 closed contracts for 9,000,000 feet of dry stock 

 with a number of mills in the cypress belt. Both 

 red and white oak, quartered, are in fair de- 

 mand at stiff prices. Sales of gum are more 

 numerous and cottonwood is moving in large 

 quantities and at satisfactory prices. Altogether 

 the hardwood market at this point .presents a 

 promising outlook at the beginning of the new 

 year. 



Nash'viUe. 



Nashville lumbermen generally state that pros- 

 pects that 1906 will be a prosperous year are 

 very favorable. Quite a scarcity of dry oak, 

 both plain and quartered, is noted just now. 

 Dealers are all busy getting ready for their 

 spring trade. Furniture manufacturers are work- 

 ing on their orders and they are therefore keep- 

 ing the lumber dealers busy enough. Plain oak 

 is advancing in price and quartered is quoted 

 as very Arm. Poplar is improving. Chestnut is 

 out of the market and dealers are unable to get 

 it anywhere at any price. It Is said there was 

 never such a demand for chestnut in Nashville 

 as that which has been noted for the past three 

 months. This variety of wood is very popular 

 for Interior finishing. It is easier to work than 

 oak and can be put in a house for twenty-five 

 percent less than oak. The building rush con- 

 tinues and hundreds of buildings in Nashville 

 are waiting for shop and mill work, the plants 

 all being behind In their orders. 



Memphis. 



Hardwood lumber conditions here at the be- 

 ginning of the new- year are generally pro- 

 nounced quite satisfactory. The supply of lum 

 ber is light. This applies with equal force to 

 dry lumber and stocks on sticks. Production is 

 still being carried on under very unfavorable 

 weather conditions, with the result that there 

 is a decided curtailment in the output. Thus, 

 from the supply standpoint, it is beginning to 

 look as If manufacturers will have difl5culty In 

 getting hold of stock while buyers will be up 

 against a condition which they have not faced 

 for some years. Prices are firm throughout the 

 list. Advances are being made now and then, 

 and some items, notably cottonwoodi show a 

 strong upward tendency because of acute scarc- 

 ity. There is no pressure to sell anything. If 

 a .seller cannot get his prices today he feels that 



