flaMwolRocoM 



Published In the Interest of Hardwood Lumber, American Hardwood Forests, Wood Veneer Industry, Hardwood Flooring, 

 Hardwood Interior Finish, Wood Chemicals, Saw Mill and WoodworRing Machinery. 



Vol. XXI. 



CHICAGO, MARCH 25, 1906. 



No. 11. 



Puljikshcd on the lOlh and 25tli of cai-li inonll) by 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



Henry H. Gibson, President Frank W. Tuttle, Sec-Treas. 



OFFICES 

 Sixth Floor Ellsworth Bidg., 355 Dearborn St^. Chicago, 111., U.S.A. 



Telephones: Harrison 4960 Automatic 5659 



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 oontrary are continued at our option. 



The entire contents of this publication are covered by the general copy- 

 right, and articles must not be reprinted without special permission. 

 Entered at Chicago Postoflice as Second Class Matter. 



Advertising copy must be received five days in advance of 

 publication date. Advertising rates on application. 



COMING ASSOCIATION MEETINGS. 

 National Hardwood Association. 



The ninth annual convention of the National Hard- 

 iwood Lumber Association will be held at the Gayoso 

 Hotel, Memphis, on Thursday and Friday, May 3 and 4. 



Special Meeting Wisconsin Association. 



A special spring meeting of the Wisconsin Hard- 

 wood Lumbermen's Association will be held at Marsh- 

 field, Wis., on Tuesday, March 27, at 2:30 p. m. 



General Market Conditions. 



Buyers generally are recognizing the fact that present and pros- 

 pective supplies of nearly every variety of hardwoods are meager and 

 that the demand promises to be largely in excess of any possibility 

 of complete fulfillment for months to come. Owing principalh' to 

 bad weather conditions, the south country has not delivered logs to 

 the mills with any regularity or in large volume during the winter. 

 In the north there has been a great scarcity of snow and so little cold 

 weather as to make ice roads impossible, with the result that the 

 northern log supply has been very much curtailed. 



There has been a world of trading in lumber during the last fort- 

 night and some of these purchases have induced very remarkable 

 movements of stock. It is rare that lumber is actually taken out of 

 Chicago yards in any quantity and moved in carload lots to eastern 

 trade centers, but during the last few days the Chicago direct yard 

 shipments to eastern buyers have been heavier than perhaps ever 

 before in the history of the trade. Lumber has also been shipped 

 from points miles east and north of Memphis to that city to patch 

 up broken stocks which has been reshipped to the East. Milwaukee 



is shipping hardwoods to Chicago, and Chicago is shipping hardwoods 

 to Milwaukee. Interior Wisconsin mills are forwarding hardwoods 

 to Grand Rapids, Mich., and Grand Eapids is reshipping to (Jlii- 

 cago. It is a mix-tip of unnatural distribution of lumber that has 

 rarely if ever been witnessed in the hardwood trade. There is a 

 lot of trading between jobbers in assisting each other to supplement 

 their broken lines of stock. 



Plain oak is still the leading feature of the market, although re- 

 ports from various sections of the country indicate that, notably in 

 the East, poplar is growing in demand and prices have shown a con- 

 siderable advance during the past month. Manufacturers are sub- 

 stituting one wood for another in an attempt to economize on cost 

 of their products. Eed gum is increasing in appreciation every day, 

 and buyers who would not touch it twelve months ago are saying 

 today that they find it a very satisfactory substitute for woods for- 

 merly emjiloyed. 



Mahogany is doing very much better than it has for a long time, 

 owing to the high price of oak. Many manufacturers who formerly 

 <-onfined themselves exclusively to oak lines of furniture production, 

 arc now utilizing mahogany extensively in their work. This increase 

 in mahogany consumption, while attributable primarily to the mag- 

 nificent quality of the wood, is strengthened very much by its rela- 

 tively low price and the high price of the best types of Amerieun 

 Tiardwoods. 



The flooring people are still remarkably busy and as a result of 

 their extensive purchases of inch maple, initial markets are very bare 

 of ilry stock. There is still somewhat of a surplus of thick maple, 

 but as there will be very much less sawed during the coming winter 

 than for several years, it doubtless will go rapidly into consumption 

 and values will increase. Birch is a wood that is growing in appre- 

 ciation every day, and furniture and interior fiuish"~makers are pro- 

 ducing some wonderfully fine results from its use in both these lines. 



There is a manifest shortage of black ash and rock elm. Basswood 

 is in increased call, and quite a portion of the northern output has 

 already been sold on advance orders. There is a decidedly better 

 demand for grey elm than there has been for several years and there 

 is a tendency toward a considerable increase in price. 



The foreign fancy wood veneer makers all report a very active 

 business, while the producers of rotary cut stock from American 

 hardwoods are likewise busy. Values are strong, w'ith an advancing 

 tendency. 



On the whole the general hardwood condition, save for the shortage 

 of supplies, is in better shape than ever before in the history of the 

 trade. 



The Penalty of Association Management. 



After tentative efforts covering several years, the luirdw-ood trade 

 of the country has awakened to the value of association work. The 

 principal manufacturers and dealers recognize that whatever con- 

 stitutes advancement and good to the trade at large means individual 

 prosperity. 



By the very nature of things the actual work and management of 

 association affairs falls upon the shoulders of the comparatively few. 

 This distinction — if distinction it be — is ordinarily given to pro- 

 gressive, broad-gauged and intelligent operatoi's wlio, partially in 

 view of the honor conferred and partially from their loyalty to the 

 trade, pull off their coats and proceed to broaden the scope and 



