Copyright, Thb Habdwood Compant, 1917 



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

 Mill and Woodworking Machinery, on the lOlh and 25th of each Month, by 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



Edgar H. Defebaugh, President 

 Edwin W. Meeker, Managing Editor 

 Hu Maxwell, Technical Editor* 



Entire Seventh Floor Ellsworth Building 

 537 So. Dearborn Street, CHICAGO 

 Telephones: Harrison 8086-8087-8088 



Vol. XLIII 



CHICAGO, JUNE 10, 1917 No. -T" V 



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Review and Outlook 



General Market Conditions 



WHILE THE STATEMENT will be challenged in many places, 

 it is nevertheless a fact that hardwood lumber is moving out 

 much better today than it was a few weeks ago. The improvement 

 first made itself noticeably felt a couple of weeks ago, but at that 

 time the promise that it might continue was giveu little credence. 

 There have, though, continued to be more ears available for lumber 

 shipments and even though many are justified in claiming that they 

 have not been so blessed, the aggregate movement of lumber to Con- 

 suming points has gained hi volume perceptibly. This is of course 

 the best kind of news for the weary lumberman as well as for the 

 anxious consumer who has been kept pretty much up in the air on the 

 question of liis supply of raw material. Prosperity and plentiful 

 orders are very nice, but it takes goods going out to bring money in. 

 Nothing could cause greater satisfaction to the whole of the lumbering 

 and woodworking trades than to see this easing up in shipping 

 facilities. 



Next in importance is the fact that business is increasing not in a 

 dignified manner, but veritably by leaps and bounds. Lessened use 

 of hardwoods in some lines seems to have had not the slightest effect 

 upon the whole demand. Prices continue their spectacular course 

 until in some items they approach the danger point where they 

 threaten to kill the goose of golden egg fame. At any rate radical 

 price advances and consistent scarcity in many directions is resulting 

 in the desire on the part of many users to explore the field and dig 

 up, if possible, species that can be applied in their work at less cost 

 and with more certainty of deliveries. The result is that many minor 

 woods are being called upon to do their share where before they 

 haven't been used at all or used only in more humble capacities. 



No one is wUling to admit weakness in any hardwood items and 

 truly there would be no occasion for such admission. The only de- 

 scription of stock that might be suggested as not keeping jight up 

 with the procession is quartered oak, and it suffers more by compari- 

 son than because of its actual progress. In oak plain stock and bill 

 stuff are having sensational careers, the plain sawn variety getting 

 in many places where quartered is normally used. The result has 

 been a steady rise in prices on the humble products of the oak log. 

 It is easier in referring to the remainder of the varieties to lump 

 them all together for the good things that are said of one can be said 

 with equal truth of all. Gum is especially fortunate if having stocks 

 literally cleaned up and orders at better prices every day (that can- 

 not be filled) can be called fortunate. 



In every case though it is significant to watch the trend of buying 

 — always on rush orders and with price decidedly secondary to 

 deliveries. 



On the whole, no further encouragement is held out for betterment 

 in the immediate future in such lines of use as have suffered from 

 present conditions. Such for instance as furniture and finish. How- 

 ever, new calls and redical increases in many other directions have so 

 far prevented this from having the slightest effect on the whole. 

 And it would take a depression of considerable proportions to take 

 the advantage out of sellers' hands with the average concern in the 

 far South four to five months behind on orders, and the same condi- 

 tions in slightly less drastic shape in the mountain country and the 

 North. And with increasing manufacturing difliculties the argument 

 as to the present and future of hardwoods is a decidedly one- 

 sided one. 



The Cover Picture 



FANTASTIC FREAKS AEE POPULAE. The cover picture which 

 illustrates this issue of Hardwood Record emphasizes that point. 

 The tall, graceful, somewhat lopsided tree forming the center of the 

 picture, with the stately Norman tower in the background, is a 

 freak which is no less interesting to the botanist than to the layman. 

 The photograph 'was taken by a representative of this paper in the 

 grounds of the National Soldiers' Home, Washington, D. C. The 

 tree is of Chinese origin and is popularly known as Chinese poplar, 

 maindenhair tree, and ginkgo. Botanists know it as Ginkgo iilolia. 



The peculiar thing about it is that it is a needleleaf tree with broad 

 leaves. That sounds contradictory, but it can be explained. Each 

 leaf is of the shape of a fan, and upon close examination it is ob- 

 served that the leaf is made up of a large number of needles resem- 

 bling those of white pine. They radiate from a point, forming a quar- 

 ter circle. The needles have grown together, forming a broad leaf 

 made up of several dozen needles. It is thus a broad leaf and needle- 

 leaf tree at the same time. 



The question may be asked whether this tree is a hardwood or a 

 softwood, since broadleaf trees are hardwood and needleleaf species 

 are softwoods. An examination proves it to be softwood. The tree 

 belongs to the yew group; but its fruit differs from that of yew. It 

 looks like a small yellow plum ; but persons who might be tempted to 

 eat will change their minds when they get a sniff of the odor. It 

 smells of butyric acid, and goes ahead of rancid butter. "While the 

 pulp of the fruit is uneatable, the Chinese find the seeds valuable as 

 food. They are prepared like roasted almonds. 



The ginkgo tree is very tall in proportion to its diameter. Its 

 limbs are long and few and are located irregularly on the trunk, 

 several close together, then a long section of bole without any. In 

 spite of the tree's unsymmetrical appearance it is a popular park 

 and road tree because of its oddness. It lines both sides of an 

 avenue in "Washington, D. C, and is growing in most of the parks. It 



