36 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



this has a very direct and unfavorable influence 

 on the lumber market. 



Prices are on the rise. The advance of .50 

 cents a thousand on hemlock, which went into 

 effect in December. Is being well maintained. 

 Prices on firsts and seconds and selects and 

 also on No. 1 common poplar advanced $1.5IJ 

 a thousand Jan. 10. The lower common grades 

 remain about stationary. Oak. maple and all 

 finishing woods are firm at prevailing quota- 

 tions. 



Dealers all over the city report a broader 

 and more satisfactory inquiry. . Heavy construc- 

 tion timber is badly wanted and hard to get. 

 House building supplies are in much greater 

 demand than one year ago. and with favorable 

 weather and peace iu the labor world the trade 

 in this kind of lumber this spring promises 

 to be almost phenomenal. 



Colum'bus. 



Local hardwood conditions are very mu b 

 brighter than for some time past. Everyone 

 seems to be well nleased with the increasing 

 demand in all lines, which always strengthens 

 prices. The remarkable dullness which was 

 manifest through the eany part of 1904 and 

 which showed a change for the l)etter by Sen 

 tember. has been practically wined out. and a 

 number of the larp-est local concerns have re- 

 ported that their business for the month of 

 Januarv. loo."), exceeded by a nice margin that 

 of ]!)04. This refers to all the hardwoods 

 but especially to oak and poplar. A few con- 

 cerns are still offering stock at ridiculous prices, 

 hut they are not well informed on the current 

 conditions, or they have money to give awav. 

 or the (piality of their stock is not standard. 



Evansville. 



There is a general improvement in lumber 

 conditions all along the line and as soon as 

 the weather becomes more settled, a good busi 

 ness is expected and the Evansville mills ex- 

 pect to have all thev can do. 



New Orleans. 



Awakening markets and brigliiening prospects 

 for the export business, renewed activity in 

 the mills, and new life injected into the export 

 trade, have brought the new .vear Into life 

 with brilliant prospects. Throughout the tim- 

 ber belt there has been a tone of hopefulness 

 for the last month or six weeks, that has been 

 reflected in every action by the timber manu- 

 facturers, by the sawmill men. and by the 

 lumber and manufactured goods merchants. 



Better prices have served to cause much of 

 this, while a demand somewhat better than 

 during the early winter, coming with that 

 slightly better scale of values, has added more. 

 It is remarked as strange that the better out- 

 look has come In spite of the depreciation in 

 cotton that has cast such gloom over much 

 of the South. The explanation is that the 

 trade had simply overpurchased itself late 

 last summer, and has .iust now gotten back to 

 the state where the sales have to be normally 

 and fully replaced. 



With the Increased tran.sportation facilities 

 that are opening up the hardwood tracts in Mis- 

 sissippi. Arkansas, and upper Louisiana, there 

 is everv prospect that the hardwood business. 

 in particular, will continue to be bright through- 

 out the year. 



Plain sawn white oak is scarce. There has 

 been an advance of $3 or $4 in price with few 

 offerings 



Cottonwood is moving slowly. The stock is 

 in the hands of people able to carry it, with 

 firm ideas as to value. 



Cypress is selling freely, with prices close to 

 the list. 



Gnm Is quiet with the exception of thick 

 stock in 1 and 2 red. which seems to he scarce 

 and In demand. 



Indianapolis. 



The Indianapolis luudwocd lumber dealers are 

 all optimistic in their views of the situation 

 here. The market continues good, with pros- 

 pects for a gradual and steady improvement. 

 As a rule, the dealers are doing quite a good 

 deal of figuring with the contractors, who say 

 there will be more building in Indianapolis 

 during tlie coming spring than there has been 

 for several years. There are many orders now 

 waiting to be filled just as soon as the weather 

 will permit the contractors to do their foun- 

 dation work. 



The demand for quartered oak, as well as 

 red and white oak. continues fair. Plain oak 

 has a good demand, the price still being from 

 .$:j. to $5 higher per thousand than it was six 

 months ago. The stock of plain oak is low. 

 and dealers report that little is being cut at the 

 present time by any of the mills. 



The dealers all look for a most prosperous 

 year in the lumber business here during 1905. 

 (■ontractors and dealers alike are looking for a 

 lise in prices byi spring. At the present time 

 prices are being maintained. 



Baltimore. 



All the hardwoods here are repiu-ted to be 

 firm and gaining in strength, while the demand 

 seems to be increasing. Certainly no difficulty 

 is being experienced in the disposal of sup- 

 plies, and but for the fact that the cold weather 

 also retards somewhat the distribution a posi- 

 tive scarcity might be experienced in some di- 

 rections. Poplar appears to be holding its own 

 at the higher prices scored last year, and the 

 inquiry shows some indications of becoming 

 more urgent. Information from the mills is to 

 the effect that many of the plants are out of 

 lumber, and that the failure of the usual 

 freshets last j-ear to carry down the logs will 

 make itself seriously felt in the exhaustion of 

 ihe raw material before the spring floods set in. 

 The export movement shows some signs of in- 

 creasing activity, and the foreign situation pre- 

 sents a more encouraging outlook, though a de- 

 cided impetus to the trade Is still wanting In 

 consequence of the limited demand and the 

 large stocks held. Oak is in good .shape, the 

 demand being active and ail the desirable stocks 

 being very limited. Dealers who made con- 

 tracts some time ago are in a congratulatory 

 mood and believe they can And a ready market 

 for all the lumber to be secured. Prices are 

 lirmly maintained at the advance figures, and 

 large quantities of lumber are entering into 

 consumption locally on account of the require- 

 ments created by the erection of new buildings. 

 l"urniture manufacturers and other consumers 

 are also buying freel.v, and the oak situation 

 generally is in excellent shape for the pro- 

 ducer. The foreign market continues to show 

 signs of improvement, and some shippers re- 

 port that their facilities are taxed to supply 

 the wants of their Kuropcan customers. Some 

 difficulty is experienced in getting tonnage, the 

 lack of grain and other freights here having 

 induced the steamship companies to take oft" so 

 many vessels as to materially reduce the num- 

 ber of sailings. But Newport News and Nor- 

 folk are reported to be even worse off in this 

 respect. Ash, chestnut and other hardwoods 

 are in very good request at figures that yield 

 the dealer a fair margin of profit, constitute 

 an incentive to activity and impart snap to the 

 trade. Prices arc all higher, firm or moving 

 upward and the outlook is very encouraging to 

 those who have the stocks to meet the wants 

 of consumers. The manufacturers of shelving 

 and other interior work here have all they can 

 do, and are tar behind in their orders, a con- 

 dition which promises to continue throughout 

 Ihe year. 



WILLIAMS & BELL, 



MANUFACTURERS OF 



Hardwood Lumber. 



Quartered Oak Our Specialty. 



Prompt Shipments. 



MURFREESBORO, TENN. 



WANT EOF 



25 cars cull Gum. Cottonwood or Yellow Pine for 

 cratiDK purposes. Quote price delivered In Grand 

 Rapide. Aleo 10 cars 3x3—18 to 36 Inch 'n white or 

 red oak 



A. H. DAVID, Grand Rapids 



Buyer of All Kinds of Hardwoods. 



CYPRESS 



We make a specialty of rough or 

 dressed Cypress Lumber and Cypress 

 Shingles in straight or mixed cars. 

 Your inquiries solicited for single car 

 orders or good round lots. Can also fur- 

 nish Sound Cypress Dimension Stock. 



The Borcherding Lumber Co. 



Northern Office, 



CINCINNATI, OHIO. 



LOW RATES 



N^^*'^^ 



! LOMILLE Si USSflLLE 1 1 



TO THE 



Minneapolis, 



The situation iu the northwest favors a solid 

 rirlce basis, with a probability of rising values 



MARDI GRAS 



NEW ORLEANS, 



MOBILE, 



PENSACOLA 



Tickets on sale March 1-G limited to return ' 

 March II; bv deposit and payment of 50 cents ' 

 eitension of limit can be secured until March ( 

 25, 1905. For rates, lime tables and beautiful i 

 illustrated booklet giving a history of the Mardi | 

 Gras, address 



H. C. BAII>EY, N. W. P. A., . . Chicago. III. 

 J. E. DAVENPORT, D. P. A.. . St. Louis, Mo. 



F. D. HUSH D. P. A Cincinnati. O. 



I. H. MILLIKEN. D. 1'. A.. - , Louisville, Ky. [ 

 STONE. Gen'l Pass. Agent, - Louisville, 



11^. 



lie, Ky. ) 



