flaMwoM RocoM 



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

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



Vol. XIX. 



CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 25, 1905. 



No. 9. 



fliH*lRocoM 



Published on the 10th and 25th ol each month 



By The HARDWOOD COMPAINY 



HENRY H. GIBSON 

 FRANK W. TUTTLE 



President 

 Sec-Treas. 



OFFICES: 

 Sixth Floor Ellsworth Bldg., 355 Dearborn St., Chicago, III., U.S.A. 



Telephones: Harrison 4960. Automatic 5659. 



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In all other countries in universal postal union 3.00 



Subscriptions are payable in advance, and in default of written orders to th€ 

 contrary are continued at our option. 



Entered at Chicago Postoffice as Second Class Matter. 



AdTertlsing copy must be received five days in advance 

 of publication date. Advertising rates on application. 



General Hardwood Conditions. 



The past half moiilh lias tnntribiited notliiiii; toward the improve- 

 ment of hardwood conditions in value, quantity of production or 

 volume of trade. Weather conditions have been something fearful 

 in all parts of the hardwood producing and consuming sections of 

 the country. Snow storms and blizzards have extended across the 

 northern part of the United States, from Maine to the Dakotas, 

 while rain followed by freezing weather has prevailed through all 

 the hardwood districts south of the Ohio river. 



The promise of a very early and large movement of hardwood 

 lumber has therefore of necessity not materialized. The manufac- 

 turers have been struggling to keep their plants in operation in 

 spite of adverse weather conditions, supplemented by a still worse 

 labor proposition, while jobbers have been attempting to secure the 

 forwarding of rush orders to their customers, in spite of an in- 

 ability of accomplishment, and the consumers have gotten along 

 the best thej' could with what stock they had on hand. Happily, 

 they have not required the large quantity of lumber they anticipated, 

 owing to the severity of the weather interfering with thoir opera- 

 tions and the demand for goods. 



For nearly three weeks, through all branches of the hardwood 

 trade, things have moved very slowly. However, every one has recog- 

 nized the cause of the general slackness, and values have been fully 

 maintained on all lines of woods. In this connection it is pleasant 

 to note the common sense that has prevailed in the hardwood trade, 

 as compared to that manifested in the yellow pine industry. Ap- 

 parently, there is never a time, regardless of whatsoever the cause, 

 when a yellow pine manufacturer not finding every mail loaded with 

 orders, but that his universal panacea for getting business is cutting 

 prices. Yellow pine has slumped a full dollar in three weeks, with 

 no logical reason, save the asininity of yellow pine operators. 



Good common sense, backed by universal optimism, seems to pre- 

 vail in all branches of the hardwood industry, and there is every 



prospect that with the renaissance of decent weather the volume 

 of business will ^■ery largely increase on the basis of strengthening 

 values. 



Plain oak in both red and white is still a scarce article, and the 

 inquiries for it are much more numerous than the quantities on 

 hand. These woods still lead the van. 



Buyers are awakening to the fact that, at current prices, poplar 

 is an excellent purchase, and a good many large blocks of the 

 wood, either in stock, but more often to be cut, have changed hands 

 during the last few days. 



Incidentally poplar came very near being largely an unknown 

 quantity, so far as poplar lumber for the year 190.5 was concerned, 

 by reason of the Kentucky and Tennessee river conditions that pre- 

 vailed on Feb. 9 and 10. The upper Cumberland, Tennessee, the 

 Guyandotte, the Big Sandy and the Kentucky river headwaters are 

 well stocked with poplar logs. In the mountain districts of this 

 region there has been an unusilally heavy fall of snow, and extremely 

 cold weather for that latitude. Eain and soft weather prevailed 

 in the early part of the month, and on Feb. 9 ice in which logs were 

 imbedded started a down stream movement. The waters of the 

 Kentucky "went out" on Feb. 10, but fortunately a gorge of logs 

 and ice took place eight miles above Ford. Ky., and the greater 

 ])ortion of the timber was saved. Unfortunately one concern lost 

 about S.OOO logs, but this is the only considerable loss that ob- 

 tained. It was a very narrow margin, and was caused by the set- 

 ting in of cold weather, that saved well toward $.5,000,000 worth of 

 poplar logs constitute a large portion of the prospective lumber 

 output for 1905, from a total loss by being swept clear to the Gulf 

 of llexico. Human ingenuity has not yet devised a scheme whereby 

 n log and ice "tide" can be stayed in its course. 



The Gospel of Common Sense. 



There are a few hardwood liuulieriiien of recognized ability in 

 this cotintry who profess to believe that uniform hardwood inspec- 

 tion is a desideratum but a proposition that is chimerical. In a 

 strict acceptance of the term "uniform inspection" the Hardwood 

 Eecokd is inclined to agree with these gentlemen. Approximately 

 uniform inspection is obtained in the assorting of building woods. 

 White pine is near enough alike in all its ranges of growth to 

 render uniform inspection eminently practical. When a buyer 

 buys lumber under the inspection system prevailing along the lakes 

 from Saginaw to North Tonawanda, he is practically assured that 

 each purchase shall be comparatively like its fellow. The texture 

 of the wood is generally very similar; the methods of manufacturers 

 are approximately uniform; the thicknesses are identical; the widths 

 are classified alike, and so there is assured a practically uniform in- 

 spection. Tliese same features prevail in long leaf yellow pine, in 

 short leaf pine, in North Carolina pine, iu hemlock and in the conif- 

 era; products of the Pacific coast. 



In hardwoods, very dissimilar tree growing conditions prevail, as 

 well as a vast diflference of methods in the manufacture and sea- 

 soning in various sections of the country. In American oak, which 

 grows over a very wide range in this country, there are not less 

 than a hundred different varieties, every one having varied char- 

 acteristics, but shading into each other with so little difference as to 



