AaMwolRooiM 



Published In the Interest of Hardwood Lumber, American Hardwood Forests. Wood Veneer Industry, Hardwood Flooring, 

 Hardwood Interior Finish, Wood Chemicals, Saw Mill and Woodworking Machinery. 



Vol. XX. 



CHICAGO, MAY 10, 1905. 



No. 2. 



flfflwolRocoM 



Published on the 10th and 25th of each month 



By The HARDWOOD COMPANY 



HENRY H. GIBSON 

 FRANK W. TUTTLE 



President 

 Sec-Treas. 



OFFICES: 

 Sixth Floor Ellsworth Bldg., 355 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111., U.S.A. 



Telephones: Harrison 4960. Automatic 5659. 



TERMS OF ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: 



In the United States, Canada, Philippine Islands and Mexico $2.00 



In all other countries in universal postal union 3.00 



Subscriptions are payable in advance, and in default of written orders to the 

 contrary are continued at our option. 



Entered at Chicago Postoffice as Second Class Matter. 



Advertising copy must be received fi**e days in advance 

 of publication date. Advertising rates on application. 



General Market Conditions. 



During the past two weeks the general tendency of the hard- 

 wood market in the chief commercial centers of the United States 

 has been of improving quality, save in Chicago. In this city all 

 business is materially injured by reason of a very unfortunate and 

 uncalled for teamsters' strike, which, while not thus far affecting 

 the lumber teamsters themselves, has prostrated the total of Chi- 

 cago 's business to such an extent that no manufacturer either wants 

 to buy or receive lumber. The disaster has been a shock out of a 

 clear sky to the Chicago hardwood trad?. Fortunately it is assumed 

 that strike conditions will prevail but a very few days longer and 

 that business will resume its normal and prosperous trend. 



Plain sawed oak continues to be in demand in excess of the 

 supply, with marked rising tendency of prices. It will be astonish- 

 ing if the high relative price of plain white and red oak does not 

 stimulate its production to a point where values will ease off con- 

 siderably within a few months, but today current demands in all lines 

 consuming those woods arc so strong that fancy prices can be com- 

 manded for even quite ordinary stock. 



Xnrthern hardwoods are doing veiy well. Time has been con- 

 siderable demand from the middle West and East for basswood 

 during the past fortnight, with a probability that the dry stocks in 

 iliihigan and Wisconsin will be pretty well picked up very soon. 

 Buyers begin to recognize that all the good end of basswood can be 

 readily marketed at a somewhat higher price than now prevails, be- 

 fore the season is over, and therefore the majority of inquiries are 

 for the good end of this w I. 



High-class poplar of the better grades is in increasing demand 

 and the river mills are booking orders at a rapid rate, at full list 

 price. There is still a considerable poplar supply of very good qual- 

 ity from railroad mills reaching Chicago, at $3.00 to $5.00 a thou- 

 sand less than the prevailing prices at Ohio, Tennessee and Cum- 

 berland river points. Buyers are generally awake to the fact that 

 the good end of poplar is going to be very short this season, and 



that the wood is a good purchase at current prices. This fact is 

 also causing in part the increased demand for the good end of bass- 

 wood, as it is recognized that basswood values invariably follow 

 those of poplar. All the minor southern hardwoods are in com- 

 paratively short supply and commanding good prices, while there is 

 an increasing demand for both red gum and cottonwood. The box 

 trade is especially strong and the inroads on stock available for box 

 purposes are something tremendous. 



Michigan maple seems to have the call over all other northern 

 woods in both volume of sale and relative price. 



Gray elm is not picked up as closely as its merit and low rela- 

 tive price would seem to warrant. 



The demand for black ash and birch is very good at satisfac- 

 tory prices. 



Even the mahogany market seems to have recovered a little 

 life during the last few weeks, and the demand is increasing with 

 a prospect of the building of a large number of passenger coaches 

 during the year. 



Both black walnut and cherry seem to be only in moderate de- 

 mand, but apparently sufficient to take care of the fast decreasing 

 total of these woods coming into the market. 



Cypress is in strong demand at increasing values at all consuming 

 centers, and dry stock is growing in scarcity. 



Veneers seem to be only in moderate demand, and while the 

 average plant is running to full capacity on orders, quite a number 

 are running on short time or have shut down altogether. However, 

 concerns which produce a high quality of goods, either in veneers or 

 made-up stock, are having all they can do at good prices. 



Manufacturers' Position in the Hardwood Industry. 



The manufacturer of hardwood lumber who does his duty to him- 

 self and to the hardwood industry should be a conservator of the for- 

 est, even if the immediate profit arising from a lumber operation be 

 not so much under a system of selection for cutting of mature and 

 hypermature timber only, and the leaving of the remainder of his 

 forest in such physical shape that it will not be destroyed by fire, and 

 so that the younger growth may have a chance to mature. Such a 

 method is a paramount duty for the perpetuity of the hardwood indus- 

 try that should be adopted. 



The stumpage owner and manufacturer of hardwoods is the only 

 authority the trade has on the cost of production of lumber and 

 the just price thai should be received for it. Comparatively few 

 hardwood lumber manufacturers realize the importance of their 

 position in the' industry. It is a particularly difficult problem to 

 estimate exact cost and just values. The expert in hardwood manu- 

 facture ,an tell you to a nicety the cost and value of hi- stumpage, 

 the expense of felling and delivering hi- I rolhvay, 



the cost nf transportation to his mill either by rail or river, and the 

 cost per thousand feet of gross manufacturi iling and 



marketing. Right here even man Manufacturers stop with 



their analysis of cost schedule. 



The close student of hardwood affaii i in the manufacture 



oi lumber, has other duties to perform, in justice to himself and to 

 his vocation. It is an important pari of his duty to so assort his 

 lumber that the several grades made shall be satisfactory to the 

 various varieties of consuming demand which eventually employ 



