32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



other thirty days will bring them into the mar- 

 ket for gnm as well. The planing mills are 

 beginning to be fairly heavy consumers of 

 hardwoods, especially oak and poplar, .is the 

 building situation is booming, all the planing 

 mills running extra hours with as many men 

 as can be conveniently worked. As a matter 

 of course plain oak is the strong item in St. 

 Louis as well as in other markets, and inch is 

 very hard to find in a shipping dry condition 

 In any of the local yards. Quartered oak, both 

 red and white, is in excellent demand, but has 

 not advanced to any extent during the past few 

 weeks. Wliolesalers are willing buyers of it, 

 however, but prefer dry stock. All other woods 

 are in excellent condition, grum being the one 

 weak spot in this market and this particular 

 weakness being regarded as only a temporary 

 derangement. 



New Orleans. 



There is practically no change in prices. An 

 Increased foreign inquiry has made the exporter 

 more willing to pay the prices asked by the 

 manufacturers, while the newly sawed stock has 

 operated against any advance. 



Kansas City. 



General conditions pertaining to the hard- 

 wood trade in this section have not changed 

 materially since the last report. The Missouri 

 and Arkansas mills contended against much wet 

 weather during March and made poor headway 

 in getting out stock. This, together with a car 

 shortage more or less pronounced, has made ship- 

 ments slower than desirable. The mills have 

 had hard luck all this year, as the weather has 

 been generally unfavorable, and they have thus 

 far made a poor start toward increasing their 

 stocks on hand. It is expected that from now 

 on the weather in the south will be better, and 

 the hardwood people here look for heavier ship- 

 ments this month than they have had hereto- 

 fore. 



The demand continues active all along the 

 line, and the volume of business done to date 

 Is noticeably in excess of that for the same 

 period in lit04. The increase in the demand is 

 not as noticeable on upper grades for local 

 consumpti^in as the local demand here last 

 spring, due to active building operations at Kan- 

 sas City. However, good building is active here 

 now and the hardwood people are expecting a 

 steady and brisk home trade for the balance of 

 the season, and, in fact, through the entire 

 year. The call for uppers from outside points 

 Is better than a year ago, and the call for 

 dry stock is in excess of the present supply, 

 and it will be some time before the mills will 

 be able to supply the demand in a satisfactory 

 manner. The call for railroad material and 

 ear stock has been active for the past sixly 

 days or more and the mills that cater to this 

 class of trade are having all the business they 

 can take care of, while the Inquiry indicates 

 much more trade in sight. Wagon stock and 

 factory stock of all kinds is in strong demand 

 and at good prices. The general demand tor 

 highway bridge oak is not as strong as in past 

 years. This is due to the fact that the oak 

 mills have been slow in getting out stock of this 

 kind, and the dealers have to quite an extent 

 Bwitched to flr, as they find this lumber an- 

 swers the purpose and they can get it more 

 promptly than they can oak. 



In the better grades of lumber, plain oak 

 Is by far the best seller in this market. It is 

 being used for interior finish to a large extent 

 where until recently the demand was for quar- 

 tered oak. The result is that plain oak is higher 

 than It was a year ago and much firmer than 

 quartered oak. The supply is generally scarce 

 at this time, but the mills are this year cutting 

 their stock to plain sawed rather than to quar- 

 tered oak, and the hardwood men here are of 

 the opinion that before many months quartered 

 oak will not be as plentiful as at present, and 



that the plain sawed stock will be in good 

 supply. Southern red gum is making rapid 

 strides in favor of architects and builders for 

 interior finish, and is cutting into the sale of 

 birch to a noticeable degree. It is expected 

 that the demand for gum tor mill work and fin- 

 ishing purposes will be materially lieavier this 

 .year than ever in the past. While oak prices 

 are firmer than anything else in the hardwood 

 line, the market is satisfactorily firm on every- 

 thing, and the hardwood people at Kansas City 

 express themselves as well pleased both as to 

 demand and price conditions. 



Minneapolis. 



The most encouraging feature of the situation 

 for the hardwood trade is the activity of the 

 sash and door factories, which are busy to their 

 full capacity filling orders, having the finest run 

 of business in their history. Owing to the im- 

 provement in the class of business buildings 

 and residences going up each year, there is a 

 larger per cent of special work calling for hard- 

 wood stock. The factories have already bought 

 heavily and are not disposed to stock up to 

 any extent just at this time, but the trade is 

 bound to come later. They hope for somewhat 

 easier prices when winter sawed stock comes 

 on the market, but the mills do not hold out 

 much encouragement along this line. 



The factories are calling mainly for oak, birch 

 and elm and are taking some basswood and 

 maple. There is quite a demand for stock to 

 make up into parquet flooring this spring. Stocks 

 of oak are extremely scarce, and birch is also 

 rather hard to supply. Basswood is not ofCered 

 in large quantities, but the slow demand pre- 

 vents it from acquiring strength In price. 



The strongest demand is still coming from 

 the retail yard trade, which is taking hardwood 

 of every description in mixed cars, especially 

 wagon stock, which is growing harder and 

 harder to supply. They are taking quite a lit- 

 tle maple flooring also, and on the whole seem 

 inclined to carry larger and better assorted 

 stocks of hardwood than they have in past 

 years. 



Dealers here continue to get reports of small 

 log stocks put in last winter, and the advance 

 estimates of the Wisconsin mills seem to prom- 

 ise a small cut this year. 



Louisville. 

 With the continuation of the fine weather has 

 come to the lumber dealers in Louisville a heavy 

 spring trade, and from all indications a record 

 will be made. The demand has been unusually 

 good and appears better by reason of a contrast 

 with the conditions which prevailed during the 

 fall and winter, when the demand was unusually 

 light and the movement of lumber very small. 

 The chief demand is for oak and all classes of 

 oaks are in good demand, particularly the plain 

 variety. Poplar is a little quiet, but the de- 

 mand gives promise of improvement. The mills 

 throughout this section are running full time 

 and the shipments of lumber are very large. 

 One thing which retards the business at present 

 is the shortage of railroad facilities on certain 

 lines in this section. 



Liverpool. 



I'arnworth & Jardlne's wood circular of March 

 1'7 states that the mahogany auction sales held 

 March 23 and 24 were well attended and a large 

 quantity of African wood changed hands at 

 fair prices. Honduras wood Is in request and 

 first arrivals should come to a good market. 

 There is no Guatemalan stock in first hands. A 

 cargo of Laguna is shortly expected. The mar- 

 ket is generally barren of Mexican stock. 



Small and medium size walnut logs have ar- 

 rived freely of late, and values are easier. The 

 imports of boards and planks have been light, 

 but quite sufficient for present requirements. 



Tulip wood is quoted at £7 10s to £10, al- 

 though no transactions are quoted. 



H. D. WIQQIN 



WHOLESALE 



HARDWOODS 



SPECIALTIES 



Poplar, Chestnut, Canadian Hard- 

 woods, and Mahogany Veneers. 



Fiske BIdg., BOSTON, MASS. 



Every Line in the 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



will Repay a Careful Reading. 

 Editorials, Market Reports, Advertisements. 



Frames for Hard^^ood Record 



PORTRAIT SUPPLEMENTS 



Each issue ot the Hardwood Record during 

 1905 will contain a portrait of a distinguished 

 hardwood lumberman. 



For the benefit of subscribers desiring to 

 preser\'e these handsome photogravures, the 

 Hardwood Record has arranged with a lead- 

 ing Chicago picture frame maker to supply 

 frames in Flemish finished Oak, Size 10"/2Xl3^ 

 inches. These are complete with backing ready 

 for mounting the pictures, except the glass 

 which cannot be safely shipped, but can be 

 obtained locally at slight cost. 



The manufacturers make a price to our pa- 

 trons of 



50 Cents E.ach, 

 packed, shipped and delivered at any point in 

 the United States east of the Missouri River, 

 expressage prepaid. Local patrons may pro- 

 cure the frames at 30 cents each, by calling at 

 the Record offices. Orders should be accom- 

 panied with careful shipping instructions and 

 remittance in 2-cent stamps or money order 

 payable to 



HARDWOOD RECORD. 

 355 Dearborn Street, Chicago C 



b^ 



SUBTERRANEAN 

 WONDERS 



Mammoth Gave 



AND 



COLOSSAL CAVERN 



Are the most Interesting of all the Natural 

 Wonders in America. These wonderful Caverns 

 are visited annually by thousands of tourists 

 from this country and abroad. They are pro- 

 nounced by scientists the most magniflcent 

 work ot nature. It would well repay you to 

 take the time to make a visit to them. They 

 are 100 miles south of IjOuisville, Ky., near the 



Louisville & Nasliviile R, R., 



and the undersigned will be glad to quote you 

 rates, give train schedules or send you a beauti- 

 fully illustrated 48 page booklet giving an inter- 

 esting description of these remarkable places. 



C. L. STONE, Gen'l Pass. Agent, Louisville, Ky. 



