THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



26A 



cidodly more pleuiiful. T'nder tile favorable 

 weatlier conditions tliat now prevail tile mills 

 are starting up. and before long: stocks will be 

 increased. The e.xport situation is ^aduall.v 

 improving under the influence of an augmented 

 inquii'.v, accompanied hy a slow reduction of 

 stoclcs. Freight j-ates. tro. help matters along, 

 being low and enabling the shippers to forward 

 lumber at figures that stimulate distribution. 



Memphis. 



Conditions in the iiardwood industry here are 

 reptirted exceptionally healthy. There are mor-- 

 orders coming forward titan have been received 

 for some time, while the tendency of prices is 

 rather higlTer. Moreover imiuiries are free, in- 

 dicating a considerable luisiness in prospect. .\li 

 niemliers of the trade agree upon the excellence 

 of the demand as well' as upon the fact that 

 the supply of lumber is not large, and they are 

 all a unit ^^■hen it comes to the feeling of op- 

 timism which prevails. The bulk of the busi- 

 ness is for domestic account, but there is a 

 gradual betterment noted in export conditions 

 with a consequent increase in the volume of 

 lumber going in that direction. The strongest 

 feature of tile list is plain oak. which shows a 

 rather pronounced scarcity, which is excep- 

 tionall.v firm and which is in unusually active 

 request. The quarter sawed oak is well main- 

 tained at the recent level. Poplar is moving 

 with slightly increa.sed freedom, while the 

 strengtii of Cottonwood and gum is coming in 

 for a considerable amount of comment at the 

 hands of the lumbernien. Cypress moves read- 

 ily at satisfactory prices and the limited hold- 

 ings of ash are in sufficient demand to take 

 up everything that is otfered at current prices. 



Nashville. 

 Xasliville lumbermen are most sanguine for tlie 

 outlook in hardwoods. Stock is scarce and the 

 tendency is toward upward prices. The market 

 •is absolutely bare of plain oak and during the 

 past sixty days the price has advanced $5 a 

 thousand. Until recently local manufacturers 

 'have been <iuartering practically all oak logs 

 over eighteen inches, but now they are sawing 

 theiu plain as high as twenty inches. They have 

 been getting $liO for the quartered and $40 for 

 the plain, but the scarcity of plain stock has in- 

 duced them to saw plain some logs they had 

 foi-iuerly quartered. They are figuring this plan 

 will make them money owing to the necessary 

 waste in quarter sawing and the present high 

 price of plain. 



Minneapolis. 



Th? early break up in the woods, which prom- 

 ises a light supply of hardwood stock for the 

 coming season, is having a bracing effect on 

 prices, but the scarcity of dry stock immediately 

 available is a more potent factor. The dealers 

 here have practically cleaned out their stocks 

 of plain oak and are forced to bring southern 

 stock in to fll! orders from the factories. The 

 southern stock is selling at quite an advance 

 over tlie prices that were received foi- northern 

 oak, and what is left of the northern factory 

 stock is enhanced in price, riain red oak de- 

 livered in Minneapolis brings ?46.50 a thousand, 

 and white oak a dollar better. Even at these 

 prices the trade is taking it because it cannot 

 do anything else. 



Other stocks are also getting scarce. Bii-ch 

 is in active demand, and it is hard to find stocks 

 of good quality. Elm is running low and is also 

 selling freely. Ash is a good seller and maple 

 flooring is moving in large quantities to the 

 yard trade. Easswood is about the only stock 

 which gives promise of lasting till the new 

 stock is ready to ship, and even basswood stocks 

 are being depleted. 



The yard trade is buying more freely than at 

 any time this year, and the factories are grow- 

 ing somewhat alarmed over the shortage of 



stock. They are not so particular as to the 

 quality of stock received as they were a while 

 ago. and the dealers stand ready to take stock 

 back, being sure of disposing of it at a higher fig- 

 ure. Trices are decidedly on the up grade. " 



The wholesalers here expect to be compelled 

 to ship in more southern stock than ever this 

 year. Reports from the woods indicate that the 

 mills have put in less logs than for a long time. 

 The hauling sea.son is over and many logs still 

 in the woods. Some of the camps are trying 

 to do some hauling at night, but are not accom- 

 plishing much. Tlie output of most of the camps 

 is cut off from 25 to 50 per cent by the early 

 thaw. They had been leaving a good share of 

 the hauling to be done in March and the whole 

 month is stolen from them. In view of the 

 situation, higher prices are confidently predicted 

 by the dealei-s in the twin cities. 



Saginaw. 



The market for hardwood lumber is looking 

 considerably better. The winter has not been 

 exceptionally lively, in tact there have been 

 complaints of dullness, but talks with individual 

 dealers develops that on the whole there is 

 little cause to complain. Prices are well main- 

 tained and hardening is noted in the maple 

 flooring line. There is enough stock available 

 to pick from to advantage, but not an excess, 

 taking the probable wants of the trade into 

 account. It is noted that the foreign trade is 



taking a larger quantity of hardwood lumber. 

 Not only is maple flooring going abroad liber- 

 ally, but other woods are wanted. A number 

 of hundred thousand feet of fine bird's-eye 

 maple is being shipped this winter from Michi- 

 gan to Europe. One lot of 50,000 feet of very 

 tine stock went from Presque Isle county a few 

 ilays ago. Basswood holds up well and there 

 is a very good call for elm and birch. Oak is 

 rather scarce in this part of the state, but it is 

 firm. It Is calculated that the state will pro- 

 duce about 000,000,000 feet of hardwood this 

 year, or about the same output as last year. 



Bristol, Va.-Tenn. 

 Q'rade conditions in the lumber business are 

 now much better in this section than for some 

 months and the dealers and manufacturers are 

 higlily elated over the prospects. The output of 

 this section has been materially augmented by 

 the addition of .several large mills which have 

 resumed operation after months of idleness, due 

 to various causes. High prices are. offered foi- 

 all kinds of stock, and it seems that there has 

 been a material advance in prices on poplar. 

 The demand for this stock is very mucTi in- 

 creased and it is expected that the former high 

 prices of poplai* will be again realized soon. 

 Oak is commanding very high prices and there 

 seems to be a scarcity of this stock, which will 

 doubtless be relieved within the next few weeks 

 by additions to the output. 



Hardwood NeWs. 



iBy HABDWOOD BECOBD Special Correspondents.) 



Chicago. 



Carl Kimball of the A. II. Vinnedge Lumber 

 Company is in Florida this week having been 

 called there by the serious condition of his 

 father's health. 



E. S. Pierce of the E. S. Pierce' Lumber Com- 

 pany, Ol.vphant, Ark., was in the city last week 

 looking over the situation. 



L. B. Lesh of the Lesh & Matthews Lumber 

 Company, Marquette building, has returned to 

 tile city after several days spent in Memphis. 



M. A. Hayward of Columbus, O., fully re- 

 covered from an attack of the grip, was a caller 

 at the Hardwood Record ofiice last week. He 

 reported the outlook of poplar as being particu- 

 larly encouraging. 



Earl Palmer, president of the National Hard 

 wood Lumber .-Association, was a visitor in Chi- 

 cago last week. 



Isaac Stephenson of Marinette, Wic, was 

 in Chicago last week. 



W. P. Powell of the well-known machinery 

 lirm of W. B. Mershon & Co. of S.aginaw, Mich., 

 stopped over in Chicago on his way to Balti- 

 more. Md. Mr. Powell stated that the machin- 

 ery as well as the lumber interests of the 

 concern was in splendid condition, and that E. 

 C. Mershon, who is on the Pacific coast at this 

 time, reports that the business is growing 

 rapidly in that locality. Mr. Mershon's health, 

 which was not of the best when he left for 

 the far west, is greatly improved, and he is 

 now in perfect condition physicall.v. 



Tlie many friends of F. H. Smith will be 

 rejoiced to leam that he is again in business 

 as the F. H.- Smith Lumber Company. He is 

 located in the Commercial building and his 

 friends will .ioin in wishing him luck. 



W. D. Hurlbut, formerly of the National 

 Traflic Association, and with a host of friends in 

 the hardwood trade, is still connected with the 

 lumber business in a way. He has charge of 

 the traflic department of the Buckner-Saunders 

 Lumber Company of this city, which deals in 

 yellow pine. 



The traflic bureau, formerly an adjunct of the 

 "National Iiardwood Lumber Association, but 

 more recently run as a private enterprise under 

 the name of the National Traffic Bureau, has, It 



is said, finally gotten in out of the wet in good 

 shape without entailing a loss on anyone except 

 the National Hardwood Lumber Association. 

 W. A. Bennett, C. R. Mengel and the other in- 

 corporators did not lose any money in the traffic 

 bureau, but they didn't make any. It is alleged 

 tbe,v came out about even and threw in their 

 time and efforts. The purchaser of the concern 

 was the Illinois Central Railroad. The trafiSc 

 bureau still owes the National association and 

 its members about $3,000. It was a good thing, 

 good enough that the Illinois Central had use 

 for it, but it was not a good enough thing 

 to receive the lumbermen's support. Peace to its 

 ashes. 



J. T. McParland has recently returned from 

 a trip to southern Indiana and reports busi- 

 ness as being very good. 



Will Trainer is in the South making a busi- 

 ness trip. 



Things look busy and prosperous at Fink- 

 Ileidler Company's yard. Mr. Heidler reports 

 business as being very good and tliat tliey are 

 rushed with orders. 



New York. 



F. H. Doyle of F. H. Doyle & Co.. 16 Beaver 

 street, has just returned from an extended buy 

 ing trip to southern and western mill points 

 and reports conditions at sources of supply as 

 very firm as regards prices, together with a 

 shortage in a number of the hardwood stocks. 

 He states, however, that his firm through their 

 established mill connections, have a good line 

 of hardwood for the trade during the coming 

 season, but he looks for firm and advancing 

 prices from now on. 



C. B. Barton of Barton, Thompson & Co., 

 large handlers of American hardwoods, Liver- 

 pool, England, is in America for his annua! 

 visit to mill points in the matter of supplies 

 for their large English trade. He will spend 

 about six weelis among the mills of the South 

 and 'West before returning home. 



Among the local hardwood contingent to at- 

 tend the annual convention of the National 

 Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association at Ptiila- 

 delphia, on March 1 and 2, were Henry Cape 



