52 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



860 feet ot hardwood lumber. It is getting in 

 considerable hardwood timber this winter. 



C. T. Kerry ot Saginaw, connected with the 

 Kerry & Hanson Flooring Company, operating a 

 plant at Grayling, north of Bay City, says the 

 flooring trade is Just fair. There is no boom, 

 but a steady movement at fair prices. The mill 

 is stocked with maple by the Sailing. Hanson 

 Company of the same place, who manufactured 

 7,061.059 feet of hardwood lumber last year, « 

 considerable portion of which goes into flooring. 

 At the same place R. Hanson & Sons manufac- 

 tured •■!..354,."i47 feet ot hardwood lumber. The 

 Johannesburg Manufacturing Company, operating 

 a plant at Johannesburg, some twenty miles from 



Grayling, manufactured 6,120,000 feet of hard- 

 wood lumber. These firms are all affiliated. 



The Batchelor Timber Company of Saginaw, 

 operating a mill at West Branch, fifty miles 

 north of Bay City, manufactured last year 4,900.- 

 000 feet of hardwood lumber. 



The railroads north into the lumbering district 

 were snowed under a couple of days last week. 

 The Michigan Central is hauling over 100 car- 

 loads of logs every day, the larger portion coming 

 to the Saginaw river. R. Hanson & Sons of 

 Grayling are reported to have recently purchased 

 about fifteen forties of the David Ward estate. 

 The timlier will doubtless be manufactured at 

 Grayling. 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HARDWOOD BECOSD Ezclnsive Market Beporters.) 



CHICAOO 



The hardwood trade shows some improvement 

 with prices remaining materially the same. 

 Among the leaders of the better grades are plain 

 oak, maple and birch, red gum being particularly 

 strong. Stocks of red oak are still low generally 

 throughout the manufacturing district. The sup- 

 ply of lower grades remains materially the same. 

 The sentiment that credits will have to be 

 watched through the year still remains, with 

 collections at present rather hard. Last year's 

 stock of most concerns is about depleted on 

 account of the open winter, and orders every- 

 where are increasing. The supply that has been 

 cut for this year is much in excess of that 

 which was cut last year. 



The hardwood flooring manufacturers state 

 that they have been very busy filling orders dur- 

 ing this month and last, also that they have no 

 reason to complain because the orders are con- 

 tinually increasing. 



NEW YORK 



The hardwood market at New York continues 

 to show a very fair proportion ot business con- 

 sidering the season. Prices, particularly on 

 good-grade lumber, are well maintained and the 

 feeling is strong that with the nearer approach 

 ot spring the market for good-grade hardwood 

 is assured on even a better level than at present. 

 Low-grade stock is more plentiful and the mar- 

 ket is not taking its full quota. However, there 

 is a little better demand, which it is believed 

 will continue to grow as spring approaches, 

 giving the low-grade market a fair opportunity 

 for fairly profitable trading through the spring 

 and summer months. Stocks continue light in 

 the hands of both the yards and the local manu- 

 facturing trade. 



CLEVELAND 



Business has not been very active during the 

 past fortnight. The outlook, however, seems 

 bright, as there promises to be unusual activity 

 in building and manufacturing lines this spring 

 and summer. Oak of both kinds seems to be in 

 the best demand. Quartered stock of good grade 

 is wanted at advancing prices. Other cabinet 

 woods, including mahogany and some walnut, are 

 also quite brisk. Common oak for heavier manu- 

 facturing purposes seems to be in good shape. 

 Considerable lethargy exists in regard to other 

 hardwoods. 



PITTSBURG 



J- 



The local hardwood market Is holding up well, 

 but is not gaining in any particular. The last 

 two weeks in January showed a wholesome in- 

 crease in sales and inquiries. The latter have 

 been very fair, but with the competition now 

 prevailing it seems hard to close up deals at 



prices which level-headed wholesalers consider 

 profitable. Stocks are not large anywhere. In 

 this district there is a uniform complaint about 

 the scarcity of good dry lumber. 



Prices are not changing any with the exception 

 of oak, which is gradually working up in the 

 lietter grades. Quotations on medium and low- 

 grade stock are cut considerably, for many 

 wholesalers seem disposed to get business at any 

 price. The number of improvements already as- 

 sured for the Pittsburg district and the general 

 building activity that is in evidence for spring 

 in the Tri-state territory gives assurance of a 

 much better hardwood market within a month op 

 two. Furniture factories are already beginning 

 to take on stock in larger quantities, but the 

 planing mill trade is quiet. 



BOSTON 



The hardwood market is not active, although 

 in some instances there has been a larger in- 

 quiry. The demand has not been evenly dis- 

 tributed, however. Prices vary considerably, 

 llanutacturers who are anxious for business are 

 quoting low prices which tend to unsettle the 

 entire market. As a whole, consumers of hard- 

 wood lumber are cenflning their purchases to 

 small lots. 



The tendency of buyers is toward the lower 

 priced hardwoods. The call for quartered oak 

 has been less active and even plain oak has not 

 attracted as much attention as usual. This is 

 due to the fact that prices have ruled high aud 

 buyers have learned that there are cheaper woods 

 to be had. Veneers are coming into more gen- 

 eral use among furniture manufacturers, espe- 

 cially those Baking a specialty of office fittings. 

 The demand for birch has increased considerably 

 during the fortnight, this wood being used much 

 more extensively for interior finish. The in- 

 creased demand is causing prices to stiffen. 

 There is a fair demand for cypress and prices 

 are fairly firm. Brown ash is well held. 



BUFFALO 



Tlie more active hardwood lumbermen are 

 optimistic as to future trade. The consensus ot 

 the hardwood yard dealers is that trade at pre.s- 

 ent is quiet, but the gT'ueral expectation is that 

 it will improve within the next two or three 

 weeks. The demand for maple and birch keeps 

 up well. Maple is being purchased by the .agri- 

 cultural implement makers, the automobile 

 manufacturers and the llooring mills principally. 

 The furniture people are calling for hirch. Gum 

 is coming more into use and prices are growing 

 stlffer. 



Prices on most woods are holding their own 

 and there is not much disposition on the part 

 of dealers to shade them. Common chestnut is 

 in better demand. Poplar is also selling fairly 

 well. Ash is rather quiet and basswood gener- 

 ally Is slow. The demand for hickory is mod- 

 erate. 



COLUMBUS 



Improvement is reported in the hardwood mar- 

 ket in central Ohio during the past fortnight. 

 There is a much better demand from manufac- 

 turing establishments for most varieties, and 

 prices have strengthened in several grades. On 

 the whole, the tone of the market is excellent 

 and prospects for the future are good. One ot 

 the best features is the tendency of the fac- 

 tories to purchase in larger quantities. This is 

 due to a better feeling in manufacturing circles. 

 There is no trouble from a lack of cars and col- 

 lections are easier. 



There is a good demand for quartered and 

 plain oak. Poplar is in good demand, the vol- 

 ume of business being larger than for some time. 

 The demand for chestnut is active with a good 

 tone to the market. Ash is still slow and prices 

 are weak. Other hardwoods are unchanged. 



CINCINNATI 



Rather unsettled conditions prevailed at the 

 opening of February, as business during the 

 month of January had been good until toward 

 the closing days, and the reversal of conditions, 

 even for a few days, had a depressing effect on 

 the market. As the month grew older there was 

 an improvement noticed, which has kept up 

 steadily since. On all sides it is freely admitted 

 that business is better and the outlook favorable. 

 Inquiries by mail are numerous, and the orders 

 received are fairly satisfactory. There is a good 

 movement of oak, both quartered and plain, with 

 some inquiries for good figured quarter-sawed 

 white oak. A feeling is prevalent that the stocks 

 of quarter-sawed oak are much smaller than is 

 estimated, with a well defined scarcity of good, 

 dry oak, especially plain white oak. 



While there have been no advances in prices 

 noted, there is more strength, and concessions to 

 con.sumers to make sales are not so freely offered. 

 The operations in oak are generally more freely 

 made in red, or red and white mixed, both quar- 

 ter-sawed and plain. There is more animation in 

 the demand for heavy timbers and car stock, and 

 the feeling is that the demand will be equal to 

 the supply for many months to come. Chestnut 

 is rounding into form again, with a noticeable 

 demand for long ones and twos for the eastern 

 trade, but the prices offered by buyers do not 

 meet the views of those selling, and, as a conse- 

 quence, the movement is not heavy. Manufac- 

 turers' grades of chestnut, together with rough, 

 heavy and low-grade, are in good movement. 

 Sound wormy is selling readily for good stuff, 

 with a steadily growing demand, owing to the 

 increase in the volume ot built-up stock now 

 being used by manufacturers of furniture, panels 

 and other built-up slock. 



Red gum is steadily working to the front as a 

 market feature and the demand is steadily in- 

 creasing, for manufacturers' grades, and the 

 I'uikling interior manufacturers are buying more 

 freely ; the stock lists of a majority of the deal- 

 ers and manufacturers are now embracing red 

 gum, while the receipts and shipments of red 

 gum show a steady growth. Ash is meeting with 

 a good demand from the furniture and wagon 

 industries, both of which are showing improve- 

 ment ; there is a noted scarcity of good, dry stock 

 in white ash, especially for the heavy stuff used 

 by wagon makers. Hickory is in good request, 

 with some difficulty noted in securing the stock 

 desired; there is a noted scarcity of hickory 

 boards, most ot the stock offered being in short 

 lengths ; wagon wheels, shaft and pole manufac- 

 turers are keeping up a steady demand for 

 hickory suited to their purposes. Poplar is 

 steadily coming to the front again for the wide, 

 clear stuff demanded by the automobile trade, 

 and while prices are now very low as compared 

 with those obtained last July, there is an under- 

 tone of confidence that prices will again become 



