THE HARDWOOD RECORD, 



23 



December. In many of the yards the sup- 

 ply is so short as to make it impossible 

 to fill an order that is varied much in 

 its demands. 



First and second oak is also scarce with 

 a good demand to face. Even hemlock, 

 which is usually abundant in Pittsburg, 

 is not in good supply. Yellow pine is 

 much scarcer than a year ago and the 

 prices, like those of white pine, are going 

 up-. 



Poplar is also short in stocks. Dry stock 

 is almost impossible to get in many local- 

 ities. This is especially true of the parts 

 of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia 

 where the water shortage is felt most. 

 Mills that usually make a large cut and 

 i^hip big quantities of dry stock to Pitts- 

 burg have no salable stock on hand this 

 year and will not be able to furnish any- 

 thing luie their accustomed quota before 

 next July. 



The building outlook is improving 

 every day, which gives new hope to both 

 wholesale and retail lumber dealers. 

 Within the last month projects have been 

 announced in Greater Pittsburg which call 

 for the building of over 500 houses. M0.3I 

 of these will be under way by February 

 1 and the demand for coarse lumber, es- 

 pecially hemlock, is increasing very fast 

 as a result. Warehouse building is also 

 taking a spurt and more public buildings 

 are coming to the boards of architects 

 for estimates than for two years. The 

 railroads are taking or will soon take 

 big quantities of heavy stuff for the con- 

 struction work now under way in this 

 district. 



Prices rule about the same as the first 

 part of the month. Dealers expect some 

 sharp advances shortly after the first of 

 the year. Architects and contractors evi- 

 dently expect the same, for they are ad- 

 vising their clients to take bids as early 

 as possible. In brief "things look good" 

 to the lumber fraternity of Greater Pitts- 

 burg just now and every man in the busi- 

 ness is taking off his coat to get down 

 to hard work and lots of orders after he 

 has enjoyed the holiday festivities. 



CINCINNATI. 



Cincinnati. Dec. 20, 1904.— (Special Cor- 

 respondence.) — There has been fair and 

 unexpected activity to the local hardwood 

 market the past two weeks. It was 

 opined that the latter part of this month 

 general dullness would be experienced, 



due to the fact that the taking of inven- 

 tories would occupy the time of consum- 

 ers. Happily, the balancing of accounts 

 for the year has had no appreciable effect. 

 Current and future wants have been sup- 

 plied reasonably well. The best sellers 

 have been plain white and red oak, and 

 prices have been strongly sustained. With 

 the turning of the year, providing the de- 

 mand keeps, and there is no apparent 

 reason why it should not, prices are ex- 

 pected to undergo a sharp advance, as 

 dry stocks on hand are decidedly limited. 

 Dealers are taking all the green stock in 

 these two items that they can lay hands 

 on. anticipating a rising market between 

 now and early spring. 



Quartered red oak has been firm, but 

 quartered white has met with a slow out- 

 let and prices are not overly firm. Both 

 ash and hickory have been strong, with 

 conditions favorable to an advance in 

 values in the near future. Cypress is in 

 the same category. Cottonwood and red 

 gum are holding their own quite well. The 

 poplar situation is being watched with 

 considerable interest. There are no logs 

 arriving, as the river is closed on account 

 of ice. and inasmuch as stocks have only 

 been fair in size for some time, it is re- 

 garded as almost certain that, as soon as 

 the demand shows improvement, higher 

 prices than now prevailing must be estab- 

 lished. 



MINNEAPOLIS. 



Minneapolis, Dec. 20, 1904. — (Special 

 Correspondence. — The trade in the North- 

 'vest shows a seasonable dullness. Yard 

 trade is practically stopped, as the retail- 

 ers are making their inventories in most 

 cases and are only taking an occasional 

 mixed car. 



The factories have stocked up for pres- 

 ent needs, and while they are doing some 

 inquiring and keeping a sharp eye on the 

 market for fear of a rise in oak. they 

 are buying very little stock at present. 

 Their wants are almost confined to elm 

 and oak. with some call for birch. There 

 has been an unusual amount of fall build- 

 ing and some share of it is still going 

 on in the cities. This gives a fair amount 

 of special work for the sash and door 

 factories, but their stocks are not de- 

 pleted so as to need additions just at the 

 present. However, the outlook for the fur- 

 niture factories and the sash and door 

 people indicates that there will be a good 



line of business setting in soon after the 

 first of the year. 



NEW ORLEANS. 



New Orleans, La.. Dec. 18, 1904.— (Spe- 

 cial Correspondence.) — Market conditions 

 here are satisfactory and it is believed 

 will continue so. While the position of 

 hardwood is not as strong as it should be, 

 it is generally conceded that satisfactory 

 conditions prevail. Improvement is looked 

 for. 



Cypress is solid. Prices are firm and 

 the demand is large. 



LOUISVILLE 



Louisville, Ky.. Dec. 22. 1904. — (Spe- 

 cial Correspondence.) — Everything in 

 Louisville at the present time, so far as 

 lumber is concerned, seems to have 

 turned in the direction of pine, spruce and 

 cedar, and apparently attention runs more 

 to the needle-end of these woods. Dealers 

 are doing little more than talking about 

 Christmas and the coming holidays and 

 not a few of them are preparing to spend 

 the holidays in the woods in search of 

 game. Business is practically at a stand- 

 still in the hardwood trade. The unusual 

 dullness of the fall, which was for a time 

 relieved by a spurt of activity in some 

 lines of hardwood, has again invaded the 

 market with a deadly quiet. There is 

 some demand, of course, but it is of little 

 consequence and is confined almost exclu- 

 sively to oaks, in so far as the hardwood 

 market is concerned. In the soft wood 

 market, yellow pine leads with a flourish 

 that indicates even higher prices. 



A review of the year is probably in line 

 at this time. However, if it must stand 

 as a criterion for judging the coming 

 year, It will not be very encouraging. The 

 year of 1904 started out uncertainly and 

 all through the early spring there was an 

 indication of the coming dullness, which 

 prevailed all summer and late into the fall. 

 Prices, of course, gave way to the earlier 

 demand. However, after the election 

 there came an awakening, which promised 

 to arouse a good winter trade, but this 

 has now disappeared and things are about 

 as dull as they get to be at this time of 

 the year. Yet, regardless of this, lumber 

 dealers in this section look forward to a 

 good year in 1905. This encouragement 

 is due to the general indications of gen- 

 era! prosperity in all lines. And when 



VOLLMAR & BELOW, 



MARSHFIELD, WIS. 



WISCONSIN HARDWOODS, 



Shipments Direct from the Mills. 



We are in the Market at All Times for Stocks of Hardwood. 

 Write us. 



E>. E>^ F»I^IOE>, 



BUYER AND EXPORTER OF 



HARDWOODS, POPLAR 

 AND LOGS. 



I am always in the market for nice lots of dry and well manufactured 

 lumber. I inspect at point of shipment. Correspondence solicited. 



:. \A/. 



WHOLESALE DEALER IN 



Hardwootl Lumber 



Your stocks handled on consignment at a reasonable commission. 



OFFICE AND YARD: 



15th St. and Warren Ave., Detroit, Mich. 



BROWNLEE <&, CO. 



DETROIT 



NORTHERN HARDWOODS 



DETROIT 



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