40 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



June in. 1017 



=?iiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiriiiiii:= 



I Plain & Qtd. Red & White I 



i OAK I 



AND OTHER 

 HARDWOODS 



= Even Color 



Soft Texture | 



I MADE nWR) RIGHT | 



I OAK FLOORING I 



= We have 35,000,000 feet dry stock— all of = 



S our own manufacture, from our own tim- — 



= ber grown in Eastern Kentucky. = 



1 PROMPT SHIPMENTS = 



I The MOWBRAY I 



i & ROBINSON CO. I 



2 (incorporated) = 



I CINCINNATI, OHIO | 



^iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit? 



Have you seen any w. ti , , 



ob'8 than these'* 



' I 'HEY all grew right in Indiana where 

 •*■ hardwoods have always held the 

 choicest farm lands. The best growth of 

 timber as well as the best yield of wheat 

 comes from good soil. The soundness of 

 the log-ends shows that they fed on the 

 fat of the land. My 



Indiana Oak 



comes from the same soil 



CHAS. H. BARNABY 



Greencastle, Indiana 



=•< BUFFALO >-. 



Tlio bardwooci trade shows a fair dogrcf of activity, thougli Ijuyers 

 are cot as much interested as usual at this season. Some decline has 

 occurred in the building trade this year, permits in most of the large 

 cities of this section, including Buffalo and Rochester, showing a 

 rather big falling off in May. An absence in speculative building is 

 noticeable and money is not going into this line in any large amount. 

 The furniture trade is not as active as it was a number of weeks ago. 

 Business is good in the general factory line and the tendency of prices 

 is strong. 



Most all the hardwoods are participating to a fair extent in the 

 buying. Plain oak is said to show some improvement and in most grades 

 is on a higher level. Maple continues actively in demand and stocks 

 are not accumulating. Other woods which are selling steadily are 

 ash, birch, poplar and cypress. The car situation at the southern mills 

 shows but little improvement and it is a difficult matter to get any 

 definite promise of prompt delivery. 



Wholesalers are hopeful that business is going to show good activity 

 during this summer and it is evident that prices are to be strong. 

 They are advised from the mills that stocks are short and will be for 

 a long time and that the labor problem is serious and promises to 

 become more so. Besides this, the shortage in cars appears to be 

 increasing. With any sort of demand it is likely that prices will be on 

 an abnormally high level. 



=-< PITTSBURGH y 



.\11 reports show that sbipmeuts of gum and cuttonwood and other 

 hardwoods from the Southwest are going to be very tight this summer. 

 Many mills there have had to shut down because they could not get cars 

 for logging. Embargoes on many railroads are also causing renewed 

 trouble. West Virginia stocks are hard to get and, labor is very scarce at 

 all hardwood mills. Purchasing agents are therefore buying two or three 

 cars of hardwood in order to be sure of getting one. Prices are going up 

 steadily. Uailroads arc taking considerable oak as well as bridge and car 

 lumber. Yard trade is spotted and unsatisfactory. 



=■< BOSTON >.= 



The New England market is receiving fair amounts of hanlwood but 

 the demand is so insistent that values are steadily rising. The departure 

 from conditions formerly prevailing has gone so far that business here 

 has become a matter of opportunity. There is comparatively little 

 representation of stocks available and the large number of inquiries 

 coming in are quoted and closed according to what ready stock can be 

 found and on the basis of price current at the time. There is a general 

 belief that nuiterial not essential to the war Industries will soon be 

 <'rowded off the transportation lines in a large degree and a correspond- 

 ing demand will arise for stock contributing to military usage which 

 is already required in largely increased amounts although principally 

 for general manufacture and construction. The 'necessity for adjust- 

 ment to the resulting situation will no doubt come suddenly and while 

 it may adversely affect some of the cabinet woods, the whole tendency 

 will be toward activity and stimulation. There is c^msidorable specu- 

 lation as to how far non-war industries can go in economical operation 

 tuider tlie present and prospective conditions but as no ^igns of restora- 

 tion action are yet in view, the dealers are more largely absorbed in 

 filling what gaps they can with present facilities than in apprehension 

 nr planning of policies. Thick maple and walnut are the most prominent 

 examples of what may well be termed unreasonably high values. Plain 

 oak has advanced more in tlie last few weeks than it would have in as 

 many years at any previous period. Hickory is continually rising in 

 price and chestnut and cherry, though needed almost wholly for furni- 

 lure, have shared the radical increases to some extent. In fact, quo- 

 I.Uions all along the line have reached what many feel is an inflated 

 and unstable state likely to force much of the consuming trade to extreme 

 action along some line for their own protection. 



^-< BALTIMORE >= 



There are no important changes in the hardwood situation here. 

 The chief trouble of the manufacturers and dealers continues to be 

 with the shipments, the ninnher of cars furnished by the railroads 

 being totally inadequate, and even when the cars are loaded, their convey- 

 ance to destinations is attended with great delays, so that neither 

 the shipper nor the receiver is ever sure whether or not the wants that 

 develop will be met. The quotations are still going up, and there appears 

 to be no real limit to the market. The one question to which an answer 

 is demanded is whether the seller is in a position to nutke delivery and 

 whether shipments will be allowed to get through. Most of the hardwood 

 men iHM'e h.'ive drawn on their stocks in recent mouths to stu-h an extent 

 that their selections are greatly depleted. .V few were forttmate enough 

 to sense the present situation in advance and to nuike provision accord- 

 ingly, and these dealers carry exceptionally large assortments. But 

 as against one of these men there are half a dozen others who really 

 stand in need of additions to their supplies, and who are greatly incon- 

 venienced by file prevailing state of tilings. Some relief has been ac- 

 I'orded of late by the raising of certain embargoes on the eastern 



AH Thre« of U* Will Be BeneRted if You Mention HARDWOOD I^CORD 



