32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



wood, and the J. K. Clark t'nmpany is: reported 

 to have houj^ht S.OOO.Otai feet of basswood culls 

 tor Ilielr own use this winter. 



F. \V. Kiiswell. of this oit.v. is back from a 

 trip to the new plant ot the Buswell Lumber & 

 Manufacturing Company at Buswell, Wis. The 



mill has commenced sawing birch, ash. maple 

 and basswood logs. In addilion to plue and 

 hemloi'k. The concern is buiidiug a plnniuK 

 mill, which it is hoped will be in operation 

 about Ma.v 1. wlicn they will have slock to 

 put on the market. 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HABDWOOD RECORD 



Chicago. 

 The local hardwoi.d uuirket is marked by a 

 continiiance of strong buying. This applies to 

 the orders placed by the Chicago wholesalers as 

 well as the local demand in hi)th car and wagon 

 load orders by the woodworking institutions both 

 great and small throughout the city. Optimism 

 prevails in all sections regarding the future de- 

 mand, and there seems to be little complaint on 

 the subject of prices current. It is the general 

 belief that prices will hold lirm all through the 

 season, and the chief factor in the hardwood 

 situation locally is the tpieiy. "Can you deliver 

 the stock dry and quick V" 



New York. 



Spring has opened with a very fair rush of 

 business and prospects are most favorable for 

 a big trade through the summer, barring possi- 

 ble labor troubles. The retail as well as furni- 

 ture, t-abinet and all the manufacturing trade 

 <-onsumin£; hardwoods are busy and in tiie market 

 for stipplies. Trices are lirm. 



Taken as a whole, after a careful survey of 

 the market, il cannot be said that stocks are 

 plentiful. 



I'oplar is ruling firm and stocks are fail*, but 

 the market is sufriciently active to keep prices 

 steady with a slight upward tendency. Plain 

 oak and ash are In good call, and stocks in ship- 

 ping condition are lomparatively light. Brown 

 nsh is in big call and is selling at a range 

 equal to while ash. riain oak is inclining up- 

 ward in price. (Quartered oak and maple are 

 sluggish and the market is well supplied with 

 offerings. Chestnut and birch are moving freel.v 

 and prices are bullish. 



Boston. 



There Is activity in all branches of the wood- 

 working Industry : manufacturers of interior fin- 

 ish are running their plants on full time, archi- 

 tects have many plans about ready to turn over 

 to builders, and i)rospect for an early start is 

 g«»Ml. anri furniture manufacturers are busy, all 

 of which intluences the hardwood trade. Prices 

 a.'-ked for the popular woods have advanced con- 

 siderably during the past few' weeks, which has 

 tended to check speculative bu.ving. All advices 

 fr<»m lumber manufacturing centers indicate a 

 Hhortnge of dry stock and a smaller supply of 

 logs on hand than usual. The export demand 

 Is moderate only. Prominent wholesalers state 

 that foreign buyers will not pay the prices now 

 nskcd. 



Plain oak 1h in smaller supply and firmer 

 than at any time during the past year. Quar- 

 tered oak Is in active demand and offerings arc 

 not large. White ash Is In e.tcellent call. Prices 

 are firm and slocks small. There Is also a 

 Kood call for brown ash. Walnut, cherr.v and 

 cheslniif receive a fair amount of attention. 



Maple flooring has developed additional 

 strength during the past two weeks. Dealers 

 have good orders on their books and everj'thlng 

 points toward a further advance. Whitewood 

 Is n little slow, but prices are firm. Advlies 

 from mill centers show small stocks of finished 

 lumber and a limited supply <if logs. The 

 amount <>f whltewoorl In the yards Is onl.v mrsl- 

 erate and It Is the consensus of fiplnlon thai as 

 eoon ns the demand starts up higher prices will 

 be obtained. Cypress Is very firmly held, but 

 the high prices have checked the consumption. 

 Stocks In consumers' hands ore not large. 



Exclusive Market Reporters.) 

 Philadelphia. 



The m.-ii-kel has inipr<i\c(l arid iniccs ;iih:inr<'(i 

 slightly during the past forlniglit. Chestnut 

 continues the leader, witi) oak in good demand. 

 Poplar is stronger today than it lias been for 

 three or four .years, the call for it being liealthy 

 and normal. <;ood basswood continues in brisk 

 demand, and there lias been a considerable lot 

 of cypress sold. There is. as usual, a scarcity 

 of good !>ak flooring, w'hiie the Maple Flooring 

 .\ssociation has found the demaud such as to 

 justify liie advance of $1 to take effect in about 

 tliirty days. 



Most of tlie local yards are pretty well 

 stocked, l)iil the sales are comparatively few. 

 Instead of the strong and continuous demand 

 that ougiit to mark this season of the year, the 

 market is sporadic, and, in spite of the slight 

 advance registered during the last two weeks, 

 is not what it should be. The feeling at the 

 mills, as reported by the local trade, is very 

 optimistic, but among many dealers there is a 

 strong belief tiutt when the accumulated stock 

 at the mills, which it has heretofore been inipc»s- 

 slble to work out, reaches the market, a drop In 

 prices will occur, and they are taking advantage 

 of tile present high figures to secure orders. 



The bulkling outlook this year is better than 

 for some time past. The usual number of small 

 houses are in course of erection, but there Is a 

 decided Increase in the number of better quality 

 houses being bulU In the suburbs. The only 

 cloud on the labor horizon here •Is the projected 

 strike of the carpenters and plasterers Un- higher 

 wages, but tlie builders are estimating on the 

 basis of the old wage scale and do not look 

 for any Interruption of operations. 



Baltimore. 



Nothing has oi'curred during the past forlniglit 

 to dim the prospects of the hardwood business 

 In this section. Tlie demand continues brisk, 

 with the olTerlngs hardly large enough to meet 

 requirements, and values liigii. The bad roads 

 have prevented shipments to the railroads and 

 have consei|uently retarded the receipts at points 

 of distribution. The demand abroad seems to be 

 Increasing, and bu.vers arc offering better terms, 

 the conviction thai the rise in the quotations Is 

 based upiui .I'tiial conditions here having ex- 

 tended. 



Ash and oak are e<tually piquilar, llbenil qiiiiii- 

 tltles of both woods entering Into coiisuinption 

 at prices which encourage prodiu-tlon. The ex 

 ports of these woods are also considerable. The 

 revival In oak seems to be holding its own. llie 

 cabinet workei-s here and all over the country 

 buying In relatively large quanllties, while the 

 export movement is of very satisfactor.v propor- 

 tions. The values realized are In the main very 

 remunerative. 



A strong feature in the local hardwood market 

 Is poplar, which continues In very active re- 

 ipiest. al ntlracllvc prices. Stocks are going 

 ffM'ward to supply the exp^irt trade In large 

 <iuantltles. anti the assertion Is frecpienlly heard 

 that the nianufa<-tur(>rs seek thus to prevent the 

 domesib' situation from sagging. 



Thei-e Is still a good incpilrj' for mahogany on 

 Ihe pari of maniifactiirerM of store fixtures and 

 cabinet makers, wlu) find an active call for wai'es 

 made of this wood. The prlies. ciuuparatlvely 

 speaking, are very moderate. 



Pittsburg. 



The hardwood sliuatlon In Plltsburg shows a 

 iniirkcd Itiipi-ovcnicnt over two weeks ago in both 



tlie bulk of inquiry and the higher range of 

 lirlces. To the bad weather may be attributed 

 chiefly the tardiness that was manifest in the 

 market a few weeks ago among customers. 

 Since March 1 it has been practically Impossi- 

 ble to do excavation or foundation work. 



Things are beginning to look much brighter 

 for hardwood dealers, as the building outlook is 

 excellent. The amount of railroad and general 

 construction work that is sure to go forward is 

 suHlcient to justify the assertion that Pittsburg 

 will be an exceptionally good distributing point 

 this summer for oak timbers and other lieavy 

 material. 



The price situation is already beginning to 

 reflect this prospective demand. Good oak is In 

 splendid call and it is hard to get dry stock. 

 It Is generally admitted here that hardwoods 

 were never before shipped so green as this spring. 

 The better grades of oak for finishing are selling 

 much better than last spring, and maple floor- 

 ing has taken an upward shoot. Eastern man- 

 ufactories and the Ohio factories are using a 

 large amount of the minor hardwoods, including 

 hickory, ash. birch, cherry and walnut. In which 

 some firms are doing a very nice business. 

 Chestnut is strong in market and many dealers 

 are practlcall.v sold out on the good stock. On 

 several lines of hardwoods premium prices are 

 being offered for dry stock and quick delivery. 



Buffalo. 



The hardwood lumber situation is steadily 

 improving, but there is no claim that the ac- 

 tivity is increasing speedily, and it would be 

 almost a calamity If it were, for there Is not 

 the stock to meet it. Chestnut and ash arc so 

 scarce that all effort made to replenish them 

 seems In vain. Chestnut often sells for more 

 than plain oak. and ash Is several dollars higher 

 than it was, white ash now being about as 

 liard to get as black ash. 



Hardwood dealers are confident of the situa- 

 tion. If the.v can buy at the regular mill price 

 they feel safe, and they can still produce their 

 own lumber at a good profit. There is not 

 much effort to buy new tracts of hardwood or 

 southern wood, for they are very high and it is 

 difficult to get clear titles on them, but the 

 firms are constantl.v putting more buyers on to 

 patrol the South and see that nothing In their 

 line escapes. 



One thing showing that there is need of all 

 hardwoods is the increased call for basswood 

 and elm, though the movement is not strong as 

 yet. Maple Is still too cheap, but Is in good 

 demand. Birch, oak and cherry are strung and 

 are selling at good prices, oak having Improved 

 somewhat of late. 



Saginaw. 



The hardwood market is steady. At this time 

 of the year business Is beginning to put on Its 

 spring togs and square awny and there hasn't 

 been any rush. There doesn't appear to be any 

 weakness In the way of prices and some grades 

 have been put up. The retail price of maple 

 flooring has been advanced .fl a thousand. Maple 

 Is bi'liig wanted for other uses than flooring, and 

 the condition In this lumber coiumodlty both as 

 to demand and price Is nmch Improved as com- 

 pared with last year. Some maple Is being 

 worked up into furniture stock and even in 

 building operations aside from flooring. 



The sentinu'ut as regards basswood Is healthy 

 and a good deal of that kind of lumber will be 

 used during the season. Woodeuware manufnc- 

 liirers lier'e are taking j» number of million feet 

 every montli. 



The screen trade Is calling for beech and It Is 

 used also largely for pulleys. One ot the lar- 

 gest pulle.v concerns In the country has placed 

 orders for substantial Invoices of beech. A por- 

 tion of this stock Is also going Into flooring, 

 and altogether beech Is expected to be well 

 looked after this season. The suppl.v of nsh 



