fe 



!5' 



I& 



Common ^A/^alnut to the Front 



M-« '.'S. lOlS. 





inl 



nection witli tlic rojuvcniiUon of Ainrriran binrk wiilnut ill the do- 

 nimtic fnrtorr Undo has i<oon Uic drninii'l for No. 1 nnil No. 2 com- 

 mon walnut, whicii a groat innny roiiMiiiii-rR forniprlv thought Troro 

 not Miflictpntlv Kood for tlicir |iiir]>oi>os. 



It has litfu dpiiuuihtratod l>y act mil W»\ thrit, |irico iiml cutting 

 value considort'd, tho rumnion gradrs ar<> u much Ix-tUT jinipohition 

 from tho Htnndpuiiit of tlip runbumor than Iir^t8 and !<o<'oud!<, and 

 buyers who have seen the light on this |iropo.sition havo 1m>imi wonder- 

 log why they never took ndvantngo of Uie o|i|iurtunity before, 



Tho situation is really duplicating whnt happened n good many 

 years ago in oonne<-tiun with oak. The factory men who insisted on 

 buying good oak lumber, ami cutting it up for every purpose, were 

 finally convinced that they wore wasting money, and Uie average fac- 

 tory now buys mostly No. 1 comniun oak, finding tliat this grade 

 gives it a sufTicient amount of clear cuttings for its long lengths, 

 and that it is not much of a trick to get all of its cuttings out 

 of the common boards, especially if Uic sawyers exercise anything 

 like intelligence in handling the lumber. 



This is whnt is happening in the walnut field. Of course, tlie pres- 

 sure from abroad, caused by tlie demand for American black walnut 

 for gunstook puiposos, has taken much of this available thick walnut 

 in tho upper grades, and with over a hundred furniture factories in 

 this country "going to" walnut in strong fashion, and finding a big 

 demand for it from their retail distributors, there has been a steaily 

 call for good walnut lumber from them. Tho piano manufacturers 

 and store fixture concerns have been using it right along, and so it is 

 easy to see what has happened to firsts and seconds, which most 

 factory men have been specifying. 



Though there is plenty of walnut lumber to be had, the bulk of 

 the product is naturally under the firsts and seconds grade, just as 

 the product of any other domestic timber is. To concentrate the 

 demand on tlie upper gr.ndes is thus illogical from an economic stand- 

 point, and, as it happens, has worked out badly from the practical 

 standpoint of doUars-and-cents advantage to the consumer. 



The abnormal demand for walnut, especially in the upper grades, 

 has forced the price on this grade up to a high figure, the price 

 responding to the operation of the universal law of sujiply and de- 

 mand. On the other hand, No. 1 and No. 2 common walnut, as well 

 as cull lumber, have remained at a relatively low price, and in view 

 of the plentiful supply of these grades, malce an excellent buy for 

 the consumer. Most factory men who have investigated the proposi- 

 tion have come to the conclusion that it is entirely unnecessary for 

 them to use firsts and seconds exclusively, and the result has been 

 a considerable development of the demand for common lumber. 

 CoxsfMEiis See the Light 



In some cases the consumer has begun by transferring the demand 

 from a straight grade of firsts and seconds to clear face. Since 

 most furniture products snow but one face, many manufacturers 

 have seen at once that they could save the difference between the cost 

 of firsts and seconds and clear face, and at the same time get a grade 

 that would be just as good for their purposes as the more expensive 

 selections. 



From this the step to No. 1 common was short. Actual analysis 

 of the cutting values of this grade, together with the requirements 

 of the factory, has usually been all that is necessary to demonstrate 

 the utility of this grade, and when the difference in price is con- 

 sidered, it is evident that it is not only more than enough to make 

 np for any difference in waste and labor costs, but that it makes a 

 good deal of ' ' velvet ' ' for the buyer on the side. 



Probably ninety per cent of the furniture factories of the country 

 nse No. 1 common lumber in oak, mahogany and other cabinet woods. 

 There is no reason why the same should not be true of walnut. It 

 is bad business from every standpoint to concentrate the demand 

 on any one grade, and when this grade happens to be the one pro- 



— 16— 



tuced in the mont lir> ' . ha 'l<nwind 



will force the price up to n very high |>oint, while leaving the market 

 value of loner grndtii, which could bo UM'd to just n* good advantage, 

 Ih>I<iw what their intrinsic value indicates oa a fair price. 



A prominent walnut manufacturer, who is familiar with the fur- 

 niture tituation, said recently to a representative of IIakiiwooo 

 Kkcoko: t 



Tests 1'bove GiuTirriKO 



"It would be a great advantage to tho furniture manufacturers 

 if they would consent to use No, 1 common and No. " common grade* 

 instead of firsts and socondf. There is a large supply of both of 

 these grades, especially in inch, and the prices are very reniionuble 

 indeed. There is not the Hlightesl iloubt tliat tliis sUx-k has far 

 greater cutting value than tho higher grades, ]ire\ ailing prices con- 

 sidered. Wo have convinced a numl)er of furniture manufacturers 

 of this fact, and have been supplying them with common lumber, 

 which they have cut up to great advantage and to thoir complete 

 satisfaction." 



Another lumberman who is in close touch witli the development of 

 tho walnut trade and with the requirements of the furniture fac- 

 tories, commented as follows: 



"Every furniture manufacturer seems to be lalioring under the 

 impre.'sion that he has to have firsts and seconds walnut and cannot 

 use .iny other grade. This is true of less than ten jier cent of the 

 trade, and with tho other ninety per cent there is no more license to 

 use firsts and seconds than a box manufacturer has to use high- 

 grade lumber. Furniture manufacturers as a rule have a great many 

 small and narrow cuttings, .'ind it would be far more economical, and 

 just as satisfactory, to use the low-grade lumber for this purpose as 

 firsts and seconds. Those who have tried it out have found that 

 their results are extremely gratifying, especially taken in connection 

 with the saving in the cost of the material. ' ' 



Summing up the situation, it appears that walnut, which has 

 "made good" with the consuming trade and with the ultimate con- 

 sumer, is in ample supply in all grades below firsts and secomls, and 

 can be had at extremely reasonable prices in those grades. The 

 upper grades, especially thick stock, have been depleted because of 

 the heavy call from Europe for material for gunstocks :uid aeroplane 

 propellers, and hence prices have risen, while the supply is below 

 normnl. 



The logic of tho situation seems to point to the adoption of the 

 common grades of walnut by furniture manufacturers, who will not 

 only be avoiding tho high prices established by the European demand 

 for upper grade stock, but will bo actually saving money and getting 

 just as satisfactory lumber for their purposes by using No. 1 and 

 No. 2 common. 



The appeal to help out by buying a bale of cotton has been fol- 

 lowed by appeals to buy an extra car of lumber, to buy an extra 

 barrel of apples, to buy a hogshe.ad of tobacco and, in fact, the- 

 appeal to buy has been heard on nearly all sides. Incidentally it 

 may be mentioned that buying hardwood lumber at the present 

 time should prove a good investment and not merely an act of help- 

 ing out. 



When peace comes to Europe it will probably be found that 

 practically all the timber yards over there have been about 

 stripped bare for military requirements and other emergency calls, 

 and there will be an unusual demand upon the resources of this 

 country until they are stocked up again. 



Perhaps one explanation of why oak has not been more con- 

 spicuous in the furniture exhibited during the year is in the fact 

 that oak has not been so actively exploited as some of the other 

 woods. 



