THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



23 



t!ie amouut of low-gr;ule lunibei- ho hns 

 now with what ho had, say, hist .lanuar.v. 

 Then lot him comparo tlio firsts anil ser- 

 onds, and I am vor.v nuicii niistaiuMi if lio 

 does not discover mat tlio consumption of 

 low-snide lumber to that of the liettcr 

 Kraues has boon in the ratio of about three 

 ( f the former to one of the latter. Of 

 course, in certain instances, there ma.v l)o 

 considerable low-grade lumber of this ki" 

 or that thickness, but the general move- 

 ment of low-grade lumber out has been 

 in excess of the better grades, and it is 

 a good thing. Lumber is not being manu- 

 factured a.s it was some years ago. The 

 mills are more concentrated and there are 

 fewer of them— and there is not nearly 

 the amount of lumber manufactured that 

 there was some years ago— and there is 

 more lumber being used. The natural 

 conclusion of all this being that, so long 

 as luisiness continues reasonably go d. 

 lumber will not accumulate sufficiently 

 anywhere to cause prices to come down. 

 To be sure, poplar Inmlier has been accu- 

 mulating in certain hands, <jwing to the 

 comparatively slow movement, and the 

 fact that every available mill that can 

 get h'jld of the logs are manufactTu-ing 

 for all they are worth. The slow mo^c- 

 ment is on account of the high prices. 

 Tiie principal reason there has been no 

 break in poplar prices is because all of 

 tlie pmilar of any account is in the hands 

 of those who are aide to hold it until 

 they conclude to sell or get their i)rice. 

 It might almost be called a poplar trust. 

 Ho\^- long they will hold for the present 

 high prices is a (luestion for them to an- 

 swer. 



Quartered oak is holding its own in 

 price and there seems to be stock sufli- 

 cient for all present demands. There is 

 none too much to go round, however, either 

 in good strips or ci:mmon lumber. 



Cypress hunber keejis coming to th.- 

 front and increasing in demand, also in 

 price. 



Birch is in good demand at fairly good 

 prices. 



Basswood is scarce and is eagerly 

 sought after. 



Cherry and walnut are also verv scarce 

 in the lietter grades, and dithcult tii got 

 hold of at any price. 



Good maple himber is bringing from if2 

 to ?!5 per thousanil feet more than it did -i 

 year ago. and the maple output from Mich- 

 igan is about one-half of what it was 

 last year. 



Go;d chestnut is somewhat scarce and 

 in good demand at good prices. Foreign 

 nmrkets are beginning to realize that if 

 fhey buy such lumber as they want th.^v 

 must pay the advanced prices. They have 

 been some time in arriving at this con- 

 clusion. 



scarcest things on the list. Poplar is one 

 of the tirmest. Plain white oak and quar- 

 tern! red oak are finding good sale now. 



MEMPHIS, 



There are no changes of in ;ment in 

 the local market. Close adherence to list 

 prices, diminishing stocks, mills usually 

 overtime and improved trade over last 

 season, and anticipations for a continua- 

 tion of the same through the fall and 

 winter are the most evident features of 

 the market. 



NASHVILLE. 



CINCINNATI, 



The lilieral demand for hardwoods does 

 not abate in the slightest with the first 

 week of fall, and opening September is 

 taken as a reasonable guide this season 

 to what the ri^mainder of the fall months 

 will give in point of demand, (Quartered 

 white oak and chestnut are among the 



The lundjer tr.'ule situation locally is un- 

 changed and still a trifie quiet. This is not 

 • causing much comment, however, as very 

 little stock is being cfforod for sale, as most 

 lundjornien are holding their lumlier for the 

 fall trade, AVhile prices are very high at 

 present, there is no doubt that they will bo 

 still higher in the fall. Dry stocks are 

 very scarce, and it has been years since so 

 little lumber h.as been made during the 

 .summer uujuths as this year. This is due, 

 no doubt, to the high price of logs as much 

 as anything. The lack of tide water has 

 also had no small effect on the output, 

 while the very hot weather throughout the 

 South was not very favorable for heavy 

 sawing, T^p here in our section the weather 

 was ver.v fine, but still the sawmill men 

 are complaining of ver.v low water and of 

 the inafiilit.v to got logs because of it. 



Nearly all of the local hnubyrmen and 

 manufacturers are back from their vaca- 

 tions and once more at their desks, and 

 trade will no doubt open up ver.v soon. 



The retail yards are doing a good busi- 

 ness and a great activity is still manifest 

 in the local building line. 



Sliipments for exijort are heavy and nu- 

 menins .-md the state of this trade is very 

 Si.tisfactor.v. 



iJum lumber is doing very well, espo- 

 ciall.v in firsts and seconds, which is going 

 principally to the Etu-opean markets. There 

 is a heavy demand for this wood in .ill 

 thicknesses for exiJorting purposes. The 

 demand for common red gum is not as 

 brisk as it has been. Clear sap is being 

 inquired after quite reg-ularly, but there is 

 not much call for common gum. The de- 

 mand for No. 2 and Xo. 3 common gum is 

 excellent. 



About second in demand seeiys to bo 

 chestnut. There is a ver,v heav.v demand 

 for this wood, but great ditflculty is expe- 

 rienced in locating any stock. This wood 

 is very scarce and scattered over large ter- 

 ritory. Firsts and seconds and comnioii 

 are in heaviest demand, while soinid 

 worm.v is enjoying ready sale. The de- 

 mand for mill culls is very light. 



Cottonwood has suffered a relapse and is 

 n!ore (inlet at present than at an.v time dur- 

 ing the past six months. At present writ- 

 ing firsts and seconds seem to be having 

 the best call, B.oth export and domestic 

 trade are after this wood in the upper 

 grades. It is not a vor.v hard proposition 

 to sell box common cottonwood, still a fall- 

 ing off in demand for tliis lumlier is easiiy 

 noticed. Hill culls are selling fairly well. 



P(q)lar lumlier is suffering umre than an.y 

 other lumber from the present sbimp. Higli 

 prices are playing no small part in thi.-:. 

 There is practically no demand for firsts 

 and seconds, and whatever sales are made 

 are not made at $40.II0 per thousand for 

 inch firsts and seconds. Clear saps are 

 also extremely quiet and tiie demand for 

 No. 1 common is onl.v fair. There is a 

 slight demand for No. ',', counnon. chietl.v 

 lor thin stock. 



About the onl.v demand for ash. outside 

 of special sizes in firsts and seconds, seems 

 to be for inch common. A"ery little ash 

 lundier was sawed in this neighborhood 

 this summer. 



The demand for oak lias not suffered 

 much and is still good. Quartered stock 

 seems to lie the most favored, and iil.ain oak 

 is not ver.v f.-ir brliind. t.iuartored rod oak 

 is in vor.y good demand, due n.i doubt to tli..; 

 scarcity of quartered white oak and also to 



the very high prices being realized for 

 ifuartered white oak. The demand for 

 plain oak seems to be mainl.v for firsts anil 

 seconds and cummon. No, 2 and No, :; 

 c. mmon are in a bad wav. 



THE CAB SERVICE PROBLEM. 



The Car ."Service Assiiriation is making 

 life a burden to the sawmill men. who have 

 built their mills along the railroads with 

 arrangements for keepinfj their mills going 

 with logs unloaded direct from the cars. 



.Most mills saw from three to five cars 

 of logs daily, and most of them desire to 

 run full time. To do this they must look 

 ahead constantly for their supply. Their 

 aim, of course, is to get in just about .is 

 many ears of logs each day a.s they can 

 .saw. If they get in more, car service ac- 

 cumulates, and if they get in loss their 

 mills must shut down. The problem is to 

 make the number of cars sawed each day 

 equal the amount received of the vari lus 

 roads, or vice ver.sa. It is a hard jiroposi- 

 tion. 



Railroad companies could help the mill 

 owners if they would— and they iloubtle.ss 

 do to a certain extent— but they cannot be 

 di ponded upon; not because they wish it. 

 but because they get into such position.s 

 that they can neither help themselves nor 

 the shippers of logs. For instance, they 

 do not place cars where the shipper wishes 

 to load, or perishable freight is given tiie 

 I reference when it comes to prompt dis- 

 patch, and again, wrecks occur that often 

 delay the shipment of all commodities. 



Were it not for these contingencies aris- 

 ing mill owners could calculate with sjiue 

 degree of accuracy. They could load as 

 many ears at their points of shipment as 

 Here required to keep their mills supplied 

 and no more. So what to do the niillman^ 

 cannot tell, unless he rebuilds his plant and' 

 arranges it so that he can unload lo.gs that 

 are in danger of incurring demurrage 

 charges, but it is expensive even to do this, 

 to say nothing of the immense cost of re- 

 building or moving his plant. 



To an imiwirtial observer it seems that 

 since railway companies are unable always 

 to place cars promptly and are often un- 

 able to move them with dispatch, they 

 should not expect the mill owners to release 

 their cars in a definite time, especially since 

 it is the fault of the variou.s roads tliat 

 there is often a surplus or a blockade 

 brought abjut by their own shortcomings. 



The rule should seem to be that when 

 railroads cannot always do a.s they wish or 

 ought that they should not set up a cast- 

 iron rule for promptness in others. 



Tliero does not seem to be any hope that 

 the Car Service Assceiation will over see 

 mattei-s in any different light. The thing 

 to do, apparently, is for large mill operators 

 to own or lease the cars they require for 

 their business and charge the "per diem" to 

 the road that does not handle them with 

 dispatch. He can catch the railroad in this 

 niannor both ways, like the nigger did the 

 coaii. S. 



