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Published in the Interest of the American Hardwood Forests, the Products thereof, and Logging. Saw 

 Mill and Wood- Working Machinery, on the 10th and 25th of each Month, by 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



Henry H. Gibson. Editor and Manager 



Edwin W. Meeker^ 

 Hu Maxwell , 



•Associate Editors 



Entire Seventh Floor Ellsworth Building 

 537 So. Dearborn Street. CHICAGO 

 Telephones: Harrison 8086-8087-8088 



Vol. XXXVI CHICAGO, AUGUST 25, 1913 No. 9 



Review and Outlook 



cr> 



General Market Conditions 



THE GENERAL CONDITIONS of the lumber market loutinue 

 rather featureless and on about the same plane as to orders and 

 iiriues which prevailed two weeks ago. With few exceptions trade 

 si'i'ms to be in a fairly good state, but without any indication that in 

 llie immediate future there will be any marked change in cither direc- 

 tion. While the present condition of lumber sales is not particularly 

 •(•ncouraging, it is at least not discouraging, as both in the North and 

 the South there has really been no general piling up of lumber. The 

 demand which held well during the early part of the summer, coupled 

 with the poor logging conditions in the South in the spring, have 

 resulted in continued holding down of the available supply of hard- 

 wood iftoeks in that territory. However, quite a number of millmen 

 coming from the southern section state that of late there has been a 

 noticeable tendency to accunudate. For the most part, while the 

 majority of the buying traile arc evidently still shopping for bargains 

 and not placing any large orders, the sawmill and wholesale trade is 

 not showing any particular tendency to jump at sales below what are 

 considered fair market values. Reports from most of the local mar- 

 Tsets indicate an increasing number of inquiries on all lines of stock, 

 which is taken to mean that the prospects for an active fall trade are 

 very gooil. 



•The export business is not in particularly good shape, inasmuch as 

 various conditions abroad have had a retarding influence on trade 

 and as a result there is a bad accumulation of hardwood on foreign 

 markets. There is an unhealthy tendency of the foreign trade to con- 

 iiignnient shipments and there does not appear to be any immediate 

 relief fi-om the situation, although the calming of the troublesome 

 nations in the Balkan regions and the settlement of the difficulties in 

 which they are involved will jirobably react favorably upon trade in 

 general and the lumber trade in particular. 



It is reported that some of the pine mills in the South are shutting 

 down one day in the week, \\hich should have a very favorable effect 

 on the lumber situation as o whole. 



('onservatism seems to be the watchword of the trade at iiresent. 

 and if this iiolicy is continued there is every prospect for the lumber 

 trade .-oming out uf the iirc^cnt unfavorable conditions with colors 

 flying. 



Red Gum and Low Priced Furniture 



HK MijST ilARKE!) I'KATURE of the recent furniture ex- 

 hibits at the Chicago and Grand Eapids markets was the 

 remarkable demand for medium-priced furniture, which, however, 

 was necessarily of an attractive appearance. It seems that the 

 American public is arriving at a realization of the fact that it can 

 obtain attractive furniture well finished and desigiu'd and made 



T 



of high-class woods, if it will but insist upon it. This fact 

 is further being realized by the dealers who are transmitting the 

 public 's requirements to the manufacturers through the orders 

 they are placing. This condition is one whifh is likely to exist 

 for years to come and the natural deduction is that the most 

 expensive woods will not have the call that they have en.joyed 

 heretofore, while the more plebeian of the wood si)ecies of the 

 American forests will come into greater demand. In this con 

 neetion, led gum is the wood which comes to mind first. Its excel- 

 lent qualities, well adapted to the higher jiriced lines of furni- 

 ture, but its comparatively low cost makes it possible to employ 

 red gum -.n the more medium-priced lines of all kinds of furniture 

 for the di<^criminating buyer of not unlimited means who is able 

 to judge ar to the more attractive designs and the best types of 

 couslruction. It seems likely that this greatly increased call for 

 moderate-priced furniture of modern and attractive character will 

 increase the demand for red gum and will lead red gum manufnc- 

 lurers to pay more attention to' the selection of the wood with the 

 idea of getting the best figure obtainable for the more particular 

 purjposes to which it will be put. 



A Forest Primeval 



THE FOREST PRIMEVAL is not wholly a thing of the past, 

 even in farming states like Indiana. The cover picture illustrat- 

 ing "this issue of IL^kdvvood Record represents such a forest oij 

 Sugar creek, at Turkey Run, Parke county. Indiana, from a photo- 

 graph by Charles C. Deam. A primeval forest is supposed to be one 

 where the work of nature has never been marrsd or disturbetl. Some 

 suppose that in such a forest the trees are all old. That is not the 

 case; otherwise, the forest would cease to exist when the present 

 trees die and fall. In woods cared for in nature's way. a stand 

 of young trees is always coming on to take the place of old ones 

 which fall. By that means the forest is kept in about the same 

 condition. Referring to the cover picture, it will be noted that the 

 grouiiil is well covered with innlergrowth froin seedlings to small 

 saplings. That is good evidence that the owner of this tract has 

 succeeded in keeping fires out. 



The largest tree appearing in the picture is a whits oak. It 

 measures six feet in diameter four and a half feet from the ground, 

 and is ou<> of the finest specimens to be met with anywhere. Some 

 of the best white oak of the I'nited States has grown in Indiana, 

 and it is evident that some of the same sort grows there yet. The 

 second largest tree in the picture is a beech. It is a fine specimen, 

 also; and though its size is not stated, the tree must be three feet 

 in dianie*'»r. The beech seldom exceeds a diameter of three feet, but 



