34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



son progresses, it is manifest that there will 

 be a shortage in several items of stock before 

 very long. Even today good dry hardwood is 

 by no means easy to be had in quantity. 



The volume of pians filed in the metropolitan 

 district last month reaches a total volume of 



?22, ,000, an increase of 58 per cent over 



.Much, 1904. As the activity in building opera- 

 tions during April is much greater than a year 

 ago, ii is presaged that, when the full tide of 

 building work is under way. there must needs 

 b a tremendously heavy volume of hardwood 

 lumber business transacted during the next few 

 months. Everyone is optimistic over the situa- 

 tion and prophesies a most excellent business 

 year. 



i >ak. ash and birch are the leaders in hard- 

 wood movements. There has been no relief in 

 the plain oak situation and holders of this stock 

 are getting much better than the market for it. 

 White asli is also in good demand and black ash 

 is well nigh out of the market. Quartered oak 

 is still quiet but is steadily improving and 

 prices are held firm. One and two inch maple 

 are moving quite freely, but the fancy stock 

 seems to be little in demand. Basswood is do- 

 ing much better and there seems to be con- 

 siderable call for it in places where poplar was 

 formerly used. At the same time there is a 

 decided betterment in the poplar situation, as 

 many manufacturers who attempted tn substi- 

 tuf other woods for it last year are this sea- 

 son again buying it. 



Boston. 



II D. Wiggin, the Boston hardn 1 dealer, 



in speaking of the market conditions today <Je 

 clared that steadiness was the prominent fea- 

 ture with respect to prices of the principal 

 hardwoods during the past week or ten days, 

 and that the immediate outlook promises a con 

 tinuance of those conditions in the near future. 



Philadelphia. 



Orders appear to be somewhat influenced by 

 the conditions of the weather — heavy one day 

 with a bright and cheerful outlook and directly 

 opposite the following. s<>in,> dealers say the 

 most trouble they are bavin;.' now is t" stay 

 but of the way of their customers, as they are 

 unable to supply their needs. 



Maple is steady, as is also flooring, which 

 is in heavy demand due to the building opera 

 linns. Hardly any plain dry oak is to be found 

 in (his market among the wholesalers. Birch is 

 now a good seller : brown ash is said to be the 



st thing iu the market, and the stock now 



being manufactured is contracted ahead. Pop- 

 lar is becoming strong and chestnut Is in good 

 demand and improving in value. 



All the hardwoods are reported to be in de- 

 mand and th.- prices firm with a limited supply 

 at the yards 



Baltimore. 

 The hardwood lumber trade of litis city and 

 the surrounding territory was perhaps nevei 

 before in better condition, except that storks in 



the in popular woods are difficult to get. I he 



ind apparently exceeding the supply. All 



the mills report thai they hav 'ders on hand 



tor several nibs t He, and there appear 



m In- no surplus stocks on the market. Oak 

 in particular is very active, plain sawed lumber 

 commanding the trade and being relatives 

 stronger than the quarter-sawed article. Much 



petition prevails for stocks, buyers visiting 



the mills in large numbers, though the high 

 thai are quoted now give rise to a tend 

 ,-n. v to go slow In the matter of making con- 

 tracts for future delivery. The consumption 

 of oak here Is large, all the manufacturers of 

 furniture and interior furnishings having 

 their bands full. Building goes on uninter- 

 ruptedly niul the structure that near com- 

 pletlon call tor large quantities of hardwoods. 



The local plants therefore are taxed to their 

 utmost capacity, while the consumption in other 

 directions is also relatively extensive. Ash is a 

 strong second to oak, commanding good prices 

 and being eagerly sought. The chief difficulty 

 now is to get stocks in sufficient quantities to 

 meet the requirements of the trade, this teud- 

 • in y being so pronounced that some of the ex- 

 porters have turned their attention for the time 

 being to the domestic business because it is 

 more remunerative than the foreign trade. 

 Chestnut is also taken, though the movement 

 in this wood is not expansive, the supply at 

 nearby points having been greatly reduced in 

 recent years. The export situation is not ma- 

 terially changed, though some slight improve- 

 ment has taken place even during the past two 

 weeks. The general tendency is toward a bet- 

 ter state of affairs, the stocks held abroad be- 

 ing slowly reduced and the foreign consumer 

 showing a more pronounced disposition to meet 

 the terms of the shipper. If it were possible 

 to check the tendency of indiscriminate ship- 

 ments on the part of mill men who are more 

 or less unfamiliar with the European market 

 the situation would be still better. As it is. 

 the forwardings are still too large to facilitate 

 a rapid working off of stocks, and the accumu- 

 lations are hut slowly being reduced. The OUl 

 look, however, is distinctly better and there is 

 every reason for exporters to feel encouraged. 

 Freight rates have gone up, but they are not 

 so high as to retard the movement of lumber. 

 Walnut is going forward in sufficient quantities 

 to meet the demand of the foreign market, 

 which retains its allegiance to this wood, and 

 the stocks brought out are surprisingly large 

 in view of the general information as to timber 



litions in the United States. Altogether, 



the hardwood trade is in satisfactory shape, 

 and the market apparently capable of absorb- 

 ing far larger quantities of lumber than now 

 riM.h the avenues of distribution. 



Pittsburg. 



Things are moving along "according to Boyle" 

 In Pittsburg lumber circles. There is no boom — 

 there is no lack of business. Everybody is 

 fairly busy and what is better everybody is 

 pretty well satisfied with conditions as they 

 exist and is looking forward to a year of un- 

 interrupted prosperity. The market is noi top 

 heavy In any direction as was the case a few 

 years ago. Ilonie wholesalers have no fear of 

 a sudden collapse such as resulted so ilisas 

 troiisly before. I'rires rule about; the same as 

 at the beginning of the month. This means 

 thai they tire very firm at quotations. There 

 is no disposition to be lenient toward haggling 

 buyers nor is there any evidence of slashing 

 prices to secure business. The man who buys 



lumber now must march up to tin unter with 



money In hand and be ready to pay the market 

 price, else be is told in rather short language 

 thai his wants cannot be supplied 



Apparently there is little gain in local stocks. 

 The big firms nearly all report lhat a go "I 

 many items are sold close up to the saw. There 

 is still some labor agitation which though not 

 serious is sufficient to postpone a <onsiderable 

 amount of building. The mills that are con- 

 liolli'il by Pittsburg capitalists are on a very 

 independent footing just now, and are laming 

 down orders right and left, when they are not 

 obliged 1" take care of the trade. 



Bill oak continues to be a strong leader in 

 tiio market. This will probably be the case 

 all tlie year for the immense amount of con 

 st ruction work planned by the Pennsylvania, 

 the Wabash and Baltimore & Ohio railroads 

 and the big coal companies, along with the 

 filtration Job, will make Pittsburg a large con- 

 sumer of heavy timber for months to come. 

 Poplar Is very firm and a good volume of busi- 

 ness is reported. White oak is especially hard 

 to find in firsts and seconds, cither hardwoods 

 are in fairly active demand. 



T. F. McGEE & 

 COMPANY 



Manufacturers and Dealers in 



POPLAR LUMBER 



We have the Lumber Write Us. 



ACKER1MAN, niSS. 



TheF.J.BIackwellCo. 



INCORPORATED 



BROWNSVILLE, 



TENNESSEE 



Write us (or Priest on 



HARDWOODS 



OAK, POPLAR AND GUM LUM- 

 BER AND DIMENSION STOCK 



JNO. M. SMITH 



WHOLESALE HARDWOOD 



LUMBER 



DIXON, TENN. 



II you want straight grades, good 

 lengths and widths, first class stock in 

 every particular, write me ior prices. 



Yards at NASHVILLE, TENN. 



M. R. CHIUiZIS 



Successor to B J. Ehnts 

 WANTED AND FOR SALE, 



HARDWOOD LUMBER 



ASH, OAK, POPLAR, CYPRESS, 

 AGRICULTURAL AND WAGON STOCK, 



WALNUT AND CHERRY 



LESPERANCE STREET 



:: :: AND THE :: 



IRON MOUNTAIN RAILROAD TRACKS, 



ST. LOUIS. 



