.iO 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



e£Eected by the local trade, but large orders are 

 placed only at wide intervals. The usual rush 

 conditions accompany most bills placed, and the 

 buying trade shows every indication o£ having 

 worked up practically all stock on hand. Just 

 now buyers and sellers are resting on their oars ; 

 I bey seem to be waiting to see which way the 

 cat jumps. The local trade has, as a general 

 thing, conDned itself to local business, very few 

 Chicago lumbermen having been out of the city 

 on business. There has also been a remarkable 

 scarcity of visiting lumbermen from mill points 

 trying to dispose of their stock in the Chicago 

 market. Some consider present conditions to in- 

 dicate merely that business is marking time pre- 

 paratory to stepping out in full stride after the 

 lirst of the year, while some of the more unfor- 

 tunate of the trade claim that as far as they 

 can see, it isn't even marking time but has come 

 to a full stop. However, the bulk of the trade 

 i.^ maintaining a cheerful and hopeful front, and 

 it surely seems as though their hopes should be 

 realized after the first of the year, when every 

 legitimate excuse for curtailing purchases on the 

 part of consumers has been eliminated. Un- 

 doubtedly a considerable amount of lumber will 

 be bought in Chicago during January. It is 

 v,-ell known that remauufacturers haven't much 

 lumber to turn into their finished product and 

 that as soon as new business is received they 

 will begin to want lumber and want it in a hurry. 

 Therexore it is reasonably sate to look for an 

 improved condition soon which, even if it does 

 slump in the course of time, will leave the mar- 

 ket in a healthier state than it is now. 

 Here's hoping. 



NEW YORK 



The hardwood market at New York shows 

 an ordinary run of business in retail channels, 

 but the wholesale market is not what it ought 

 to be. Buying is still largely confined to tht* 

 hand-to-mouth basis and stocks, as a rule, in 

 the hands of the yards seem ample for current 

 requirements, but they are not as complete as 

 usual at this time of the year. The local manu- 

 facturing trade, such as piano, furniture, trim 

 and wood workers, are purchasing in small quan- 

 tities. Indications are that, while there will 

 be considerable of this desultory buying through- 

 out the winter, there will not be any mill activ- 

 ity until early spring. Prices are holding up 

 firmly on good-grade lumber, while lower grades 

 are subject to more or less competition, by rea- 

 son of the limited demand. 



BUFFALO 



PITTSBURO 



The hardwood business continues to improve 

 and the market is regaining something of its 

 old-time buoyancy. High grade stock is being 

 manufactured on a larger scale than at any 

 time this year. However, the demand is more 

 than sufficient to take care of the production 

 and prices are tending upward. High-grade pop- 

 lar is an exception to this rule, automobile in- 

 quiries not being as good as formerly. Furni- 

 ture stocks are in excellent demand and imple- 

 ment men are taking more lumber than for a 

 long time. The railroads are not showing their 

 band much in buying, but from all reports there 

 is going to be a big gain in this line of trade 

 after the first of the year. Everything now 

 points to decidedly better business in 1911 and 

 the demand for lumber is likely to be from a 

 third to a half better than during the year 

 just ending. 



in every branch of the business anticipate better 

 things soon after the first of the year. 



One of the best features of the market is the 

 movement of the lower grades, which is larger, 

 with prices firm. Quartered and plain oak are 

 strong. Poplar is in fairly goml demand and 

 prices are firm. Basswood and chestnut are 

 strong in every grade and orders are good. Ash- 

 is still weak and the volume of business small. 

 Other hardwoods are unchanged. 



While a ^ea.sonable amovint of selling is going 

 on in the hardwood trade, there is a tendency 

 to wait until January before doing much buy- 

 ing, and what sales are being made now are for 

 immediate requirements. Prices are holding up 

 well in the better grades. There is a slight 

 dropping off in the price of some of the lake 

 hardwoods, but this has been because prices 

 were placed at a level too high for the local 

 market to stand. In the woods selling to the 

 furniture trade, like oak and birch, the tendency 

 to firm prices has continued. Plain oak has 

 been strong and quartered oak has held well. 

 The strength of these woods has extended to 

 common oak and prices have stiffened mate- 

 rially in the last tew weeks. Chestnut is In 

 ^ood call and beech Is being used more and 

 more for stained wood in furniture making. 

 Poplar is fairly active. 



The price of shingles has been as steady as 

 anything else in lumber this season. Washing- 

 ton red cedar clears, which are used more than 

 anything else, have varied little during the year. 

 This means, however, that prices have been 

 pretty low on account of the heavy supply. 



BOSTON 



During the past two weeks there has been 

 no noticeable improvement In the demand for 

 hardwood lumber. Dealers here state that they 

 do not expect any real improvement until after 

 the first of the year and only the most opti- 

 mistic look for any change for the better before 

 next spring. The wholesalers have been handi- 

 capped quite a little this season by manufac- 

 turers in many instances offering hardwood 

 lumber direct to the consumer at prices below 

 those the wholesalers can sell at. 



Manufacturers of interior finish have been 

 busy and most plants still have a fair amount 

 of orders on hand. Piano manufacturers have 

 been doing a larger business and in a fesv cases 

 have operated their plants overtime. Oflice furni- 

 ture plants have shown a fair degree of activity. 

 Considerable plain oak has been wanted for office 

 desks this season. 



Taking the demand for hardwood as a whole it 

 has been below the average. Prices have lacked 

 firmness. For quartered oak there have been 

 lower prices quoted, while plain oak is firm. 

 Maple, basswood and birch have been in fair 

 call. The demand for cypress is rather quiet 

 and concessions in prices have been made. 

 North Carolina pine and whitewood have also 

 been in the quiet column during the past 

 few weeks. 



BALTIMORE 



The year is drawing to a close with the 

 hardwood business of this section in good shape. 

 Common poplar has been fairly well distrib- 

 uted and there are no heavy stocks at the 

 mills. The better grades continue easy, with 

 values quite satisfactory. Oak, both high grade 

 and common, is in good shape. The only 

 really weak feature is common chestnut, in 

 which wood the production has run ahead of 

 the demand. The better grades of chestnut 

 do not share in this weaknes.s. The foreign 

 trade is decidedly improved. An active interest 

 is being shown by foreign buyers in stocks of 

 .Vmericnn woods and numerous inquiries are 

 sent out to shippers. A better understanding 

 between the foreign buyers and the American 

 shippers is in prospect and the exporters fee! 

 greatly encouraged. 



COLUMBUS 



CINCINNATI 



After a dullness which started early in the 

 fall and continued up to within the past fort- 

 night, improvement in business conditions, so 

 far as the hardwood market is concerned, has 

 been the order of the day. Quite a number of 

 inquiries for all classes of lumber for hardwood 

 manufacturing purposes have been received re- 

 cently. 



Oak has again assumed the leadership in the 

 activities of the market. Inquiries for good fig- 

 ured quarter-sawed white oak have awakened 

 interest, and it is found that the stocks are not 

 so large as has been reported. A noticeable 

 feature is the apparent scarcity of plain sawed 

 oak of popular dimensions. A steady demand 

 continues for heavy oak. car stock and timbers, 

 with a ready market for oak ties. Chestnut 

 is receiving more attention for manufacturers' 

 grades, with but a light movement of the top 

 grades. Heavy, rough stock is moving fairly 

 well. Sound wormy of good grade is in fair 

 demand, though the prices received are unsatis- 

 factory. Poplar is steadily working to the 

 front. 



Medium and manufacturers' grades of poplar 

 are receiving a fair amount of attention. Bass- 

 wood, Cottonwood and buckeye are selling fairly 

 well, while bay poplar of good grade is receiving 

 some attention. Ash for the wagon and manu- 

 facturing industries is moving steadily. Hickory 

 is growing short in supply, with a fair move- 

 ment for the wagon and carriage trade. Red 

 gum is meeting with a fair volume of trade, 

 and while the handlers of red gum are full of 

 confidence as to its future, it Is noticeable that 

 more hardwood men are adding red gum to their 

 stock lists. 



There is some little interest manifested iQ 

 the foreign export trade, and while the buying is 

 light, improvement is expected soon. The stocks 

 of American walnut are large and fully equal 

 to any demand that may be made for a long 

 time. Cherry is also in good supply. Birch, 

 butternut, maple, and other hardwoods are re- 

 ceiving some of the attention of the buyers. 



INDIANAPOLIS 



Trade has been fairly good during the last 

 two weeks. The year has been a very satisfac- 

 tory one, the volume of business exceeding that 

 of 1909 by fully 25 per cent. The prospects 

 for a still better business during 1911 are- 

 bright. Many inquiries are being received by 

 the wholesalers and manufacturers and it is 

 expected shipments will be moving at a lively 

 rate toward the latter part of January or early 

 in February. Prices are unchanged and steady. 



. EVANSVILLB 



The hardwood trade in central Ohio has been 

 fairly steady during the past fortnight, with 

 little to feature it from the preceding period. 

 'I'rade has been satisfactory in volume and prices 

 have been firm to the. extreme. On the whole 

 the tone of the market is good and lumbermen 



Lumbermen here are of the opinion tliat busi- 

 ness is quite good, all the local mills and 

 yards being busy. The Evausville mills have 

 taken advantage of the excellrnt season for 

 logging and have stocked their yards with some 

 choice logs. They are now ready to take 

 care of the 1911 trade with nice quartered 

 oak cut from these same logs. 



There is still a moderate demaJd for all 

 kinds of hardwoods. However, buying is not 

 being done in very large quantities, except for 



