February 10, 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Everywhere demand is good. Automobile concerns, glass manufaeturt^rs, 

 thi' furniture trade, industrial firms and mining, comptmtcs" aTiS all .puf ting 

 in satisfactory inquiries. It is simply^ case of getting lumber to tliem 

 on time. Oak is in better demand in this city now than ever before. Fur- 

 niture hardwoods are very strong in market. Yard trade in building lum- 

 ber is picking up rapidly and heavy construction lumber of all kinds is iu 

 splendid demand. 



=-< BOSTON >= 



Hardwood trade for the first five wi-eks of this year showed considerable 

 increase in volume, accompanied by advancing prices on many items, 

 notably in northern hardwoods. It has been practical to make deliveries 

 from these districts while stock from the West and to some extent from 

 the South has been generally shut out by local and foreign line embargoes. 

 The state of trade from now on is dependent on the nature and duration of 

 foreign events, but the now well developed facility of adjustment to new 

 and unprecedented conditions is referred to by some dealers as a basis for 

 confidence and stability in the market. 



< BALTIMORE y 



The hardwood situation continues in satisfactory shape, with some of 

 the stocks in brisk demand and the offerings by no means as large as could 

 be desired, while others are holding their own as well as can be expected. 

 If these latter stocks have shown no material advance the reason is that 

 they had been well maintained all along, and there is little chance for 

 them to move up. Yet others show no decided strength, among these being 

 the higher grades of poplar, which in ordinary times constitute largely an 

 export article and which now is deprived of the principal market. The 

 lower grades, especially common, exhibit a slight advance, and with the 

 outlook altogether encouraging. Common oak is one of the strongest items 

 on the list, with chestnut also freely sought. In fact, the buyers do not 

 find it easy to get sound wormy chestnut in desired quantities, and the 

 quotations have gone up from three to tour dollars as compared with last 

 September. This also applies to oak, which is limited as to offerings in 

 the lower grades. No. 1 and No. 2 are less favorably affected by tlje 

 improvement that has taken place, being influenced by the conditions that 

 prevail in the export trade, but the other classifications are freely sought 

 by furniture manufacturers and others, the requirements being entirely 

 adequate for taking up the output. The rest of the list, including ash, 

 maple and other woods, reflects the favorable conditions that prevail, with 

 advances in the quotations and the inquiry quite free. Under the circum- 

 stances, the outlook is to be regarded as most encouraging, for they mean 

 that the home trade is able to absorb the hardwood production of the coun- 

 try, with a relatively small reliance upon the foreign countries. The local 

 yards are all reported to be exceptionally busy. Most of them have been 

 shipping out a greater number of orders of late than they had received for 

 some time, and there appears to be no halt in the movement. The one 

 wood which finds an active demand from abroad is of course spruce, which 

 is needed for specific purposes. Nearly all .others are more or less restricted 

 in their movement, and the latest developments in the international situa- 

 tion may still further serve to contract the foreign market. 



=-< COLUMBUS y 



Strength is the chief feature of the hardwood market in central Ohio 

 territory. Demand both from retailers and factories is good and business 

 is only restricted by car shortage and railroad embargoes. Buying is on a 

 better plane than usual and larger orders are booked. Most of the ship- 

 pers and jobbers are looking for an active trade during the spring months. 



Factories makiug furniture, boxes, and implements are good customers at 

 tbis time. They have manj' orders ahead and are anxious to increase the 

 output of their factories. Retail stocks are only fair, and with bright 

 building prospects for the spring, dealers are anxious to accumulate sur- 

 plus supplies. Reports from both cities and rural sections show that build- 

 ing will undoubtedly be active. Architects and contractors are busy on 

 plans and figuring for dwellings, apartments and small business properties. 

 Most of the dealers" stocks are rather badly broken. One of the features is 

 the strength shown in the lower grades. Collections are generally good in 

 all localities. 



Prices are firm and every change is towards higher levels. Plain and 

 quartered oak are in good demand. Poplar is moving well, especially the 

 lower grades. Chestnut is strong and the same is true of basswood and 

 ash. Other hardwoods are unchanged. 



=-< CINCINNATI y- 



Satisfaction is gcncrairj- expressed in this district over the hardwood 

 situation, the month of January being productive of considerable new busi- 

 ness and when figures are available for comparison probably will show a 

 very substantial increase over the corresponding month a year ago. Orders 

 are not hard to obtain. The chief difllculty presented is that of getting the 

 lumber away. The scarcity of cars, embargoes on eastern shipping and 

 the general tendency to avoid acceptance of big contracts for future de- 

 livery, all serve to restrict the movement to a very great extent. The 

 market is expanding enough now to warrant a prediction of an unusually 

 heavy demand in the early spring, and dealers here are sanguine that the 

 spring season of 1917 will be one of the best in many years. The mills 



Have you seen an.v better Walnut logs than these? 



' I ' HEY all grew right in Indiana where 

 hardw^oods have always held the 

 choicest farm lands. The best growth of 

 timber as well as the best yield of w^heat 

 comes from good soil. The soundness of 

 the log-ends shows that they fed on the 

 fat of the land. My 



Indiana Oak 



comes rrom tne same 



the 



soil 



CHAS. H. BARNABY 



Greencastle, Indiana 



You Can See Logs Like These 

 on Our Yard Any Day 





,* ' H " 



STIMSON 



p. O. Box 1015 



VENEER AND LUMBER 

 COMPANY, INC. 



Memphis, Tenn. 



MANUFACTURERS 



Hardwood Lumber, Rotary Cat 

 Veneers, Rotary Cut Gum Faces, 

 Cross Banding and Cores. 



All Three of Us Will Be Benefited if You Mention HARDWOOD RECORD 



