32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



duction has been limited by adverse weather 

 conditions and many buyers have not much more 

 than made expenses, so that the St. Louis re- 

 ceipts have been much lighter than is normal 

 at this season of the year. These buyers, how- 

 ever, are so anxious to secure lumber that they 

 are paying higher prices than formerly pre- 

 vailed, showing a very Arm condition at initial 

 points. It is probably a fact that mill prices 

 have advanced more rapidly than have those 

 in the wholesale centers and this conditon lends 

 strength to the situation. 



All of the local wholesalers, because of the 

 strength of the market and the scarcity here 

 noted, predict a much busier summer than is 

 usual and believe that the period of dullness 

 will scarcely be apparent. They also have 

 strong ideas concerning the fall trade, as is ex- 

 emplified by the fact that they are buying freely 

 of green lumber at good prices, whereas this 

 lumber will not be available for consumption 

 before fall. 



As yet the gum situation has not improved 

 and little change is expected so long as the mills 

 are as easily taking care of the present market 

 requirements. A fairly large volume of this 

 mate-rial is changing hands, but prices are lower 

 than those prevailing hist year and a number 

 of manufacturers are decreasing their output. 

 As has been stated in the foregoing, inch plain 

 oak. 1m, iii red ami white, occupies a stronger 

 relative position than any of the other hard- 

 woods, but quartered oak may be considered on 

 a firm basis, although prices have not advanced 

 thus far this year as rapidly as many would 

 have liked. Dpper grades of poplar are Btrong, 

 which can also be said of cypress and cotton- 

 wood, although the lasl named is not moving 

 with ereal freedom so tar as the lower grades 

 are concerned. All of tin' other woods handled 

 in si Louis are about as they have been for 

 several weeks ami show a hardening tendency. 



Evansville. 

 The hardwood situation in this localiM Is 

 the same as the past few week- and 

 anything is slightly better, 'the bear; rains 

 have somewhat retarded shipping, but all the 

 sawmills and factories are running ami several 

 new Industries have been started. Logs are 

 still plentiful. 



Chattanooga. 



There is slill a very active demand in this 

 Bection tor high-grade lumber, but stock- a 

 very slier!. There is scarcely any plain oak en 

 the market, ami although the demands for quar- 

 tered "iik me s what dull at this time there 



is net a very greai supply on band. The supply 

 ,.i logs is also running short. This is particu 

 larly true of the river mills. None el' the e 

 mill- have a very great stock of hardwood ma- 

 terial on hand. These conditions are prevalent 

 on tin- Tennessee and Cumberland rivets ami 

 in fact in i his whole section. Lumbermen are 

 confldenl thai prices will continue to advance. 



link and poplar have advanced rapidly in price 



ill the last three UlOUtllS. AS the Slipply Of high- 

 grade bard^ is is becoming exhausted there is 



n greater demand tor the lower grades. Build- 

 in- conditions are very active throughout the 

 South. In this city contractors cannol secure 

 sufficient labor to carry on their contracts. The 



Outlook is better than it has I n for years 



and although lumbermen are not realizing the 

 business they expected they have a verj roseate 



View of the filler. 



Minneapolis. 

 Locally the demand for hardwood stocl 



i- tic sash and door factories are no! 



getting out much finish work a- vet. and will 



much bardtn ood befon a month 



or mori- I be i in ni i .H''' people are buying In 



quantities and waiting tor net stock lie 



n i large aupplj i in ■ .ne espe 



cially shy of oak, which is pretty near cleaned 

 up. There is no inch stock of northern 

 red or white oak to be had, and cus- 

 tomers who want inch oak are compelled 

 to buy southern oak. Thicker cuts of northern 

 oak can be had in small quantities, but only a 

 tew dealers can supply orders of any size, and 

 the price of all oak lumber has been advanced 

 within the last fortnight from $2 to $5 a thou- 

 sand. Northern stock gets a premium of $4 to 

 $5 a thousand over southern oak. 



Birch is also very scarce, but there is not 

 so much doing just now in birch stocks. Prices 

 are rather uncertain, and vary according to 

 stocks, good grades bringing higher than the 

 list price without difficulty. Elm and ash are 

 me in lively demand just at present. Basswood 

 is selling steadily, but is still weaker than the 

 trade would like to see it. It is generally 

 understood that new stocks will be light, but 

 there is quite a little dry lumber left, and some 

 winter-sawed stock has been kiln dried lately 

 and plaeed on the market, which provides ample 

 offerings of basswood. 



The retail yard trade is still the liveliest 

 feature of the market. It is calling for wagon 

 stock in ink. elm and maple, with some odd 

 lines of hardw l tor building purposes, or- 

 dered in mixed cars. Then' is still a fair de- 

 mand for maple Mooring. Building is extremely 



active in >! Hies, and Minneapolis building 



permits tor April exc led $1,500,000 in value. 



an Increase of seventj five per cent over the 

 same month last year. The influence of litis 

 building record will be felt in the hard- 

 wood trade in a lew weeks. The retail lumber 

 trade in the country is slow, as farmers are 

 putting ill their crops and have no time for 

 hauling. 



Grand Rapids. 

 The hardwood situation remains practically 

 unchanged. In maple, dry Inch stock is scan 

 lie Michigan .Maple Company has cleaned up all 



this il ing stock. With the local furniture 



manufacturers mahogany is being used liberallj 

 this season. Southern gum is finding its waj 

 in northern markets mot.' and more, to take the 

 place "I elm and bassw I. and though an in- 

 terior wood, it is made very serviceable by In 

 t. Illgent handling. 



Louisville. 



Whili 1 m pervades the local hardvt I 



market, husiuess i s surprisingly g I lor even 



this season of the year, esi lally when tlie dull 



conditions which have prevailed for the past six 

 months are taken into consideration. All 



I. ram lies of the raw and finished trade re] 



material and products moving in large and steady 

 volume. Even poplar, Which was considered an 

 almost unmarketable commodity, has shown 

 signs of awakening, and during the past two 

 or three weeks has developed a pretty fair de- 

 mand. The oaks continue to be the central 

 figure in demand, furniture manufacturers tak- 

 ing pretty much all they can carry. The car 

 shops have also placed large orders. These 

 shops had been shut down for more than six 

 i hs, until 'he first of the year, when opera- 

 tions were again resumed. Walnut is in strong 

 demand, but the supply is very short and deal 

 ers have almost despaired of securing any at 

 prevailing prices, which arc unusually high. 

 Hickory lias been in strong demand and the 

 market supply is only fairly good. The recently 

 established organ and piano factories have done 

 a great deal to advance the interests of the local 



hardw I market. They take considerable raw 



material, and attract to this center sellers who 

 expect to find an outlet for their holdings. 



Prices, generally, are steady to up, espe- 

 cially on the oaks and the finer grades of « i 



Poplar is showing considerable improvement. 

 Hickorj i- steady to up. Ash. which has been 

 In good demand. Is aboul Steady, Altogether 

 the market is In a satisfactory condition. 



THE NEW 



Short Line 



Louisville and Nashville 

 Railroad 



FROM 



Cincinnati and Louisville 



TO 



KNOXVILLE 



Two Trains Daily 

 from each city 



Through Coaches, Buffet Parlor Cars and 

 Pullman Sleeping Cars 



For Folders, Maps or other information 

 address 



C. L. STONE, Gen'l Pass. Agent, 

 Louisville, Ky. 



CLOSES RIVER GAP 



COTTON BELT'S NEW BRIDGE COM- 

 PLETES STEEL HIGHWAY TO 

 THE SOUTHWEST. 



OPEN TO TRAFFIC APRIL 18th. 



All Cotton Belt Route trains between 

 St. Louis and the southwest now use the 

 new steel bridge across the Mississippi 

 river at Thebes, 111 , doing away with the 

 ferry transfer and shortening schedules 

 an hour. 



The Cotton Belt has the line of lowest 

 grades, fewest curves and one of the 

 smoothest tracks between St. Louis and 

 the southwest. 



The new bridge adds to the facilities in 

 reaching the country of mild climate and 

 cheap homes — Arkansas, Louisiana and 

 Texas. Write for literature descriptive 

 of this wonderfully fertile country. Cheap 

 homeseeker's rates first and third Tues- 

 days of each month. 



June 20th, we will run a special train 

 excursion of fruit and truck growers, and 

 others interested to the famous East Texas 

 fruit country. This will afford an oppor- 

 tunity of seeing the gathering and mar- 

 keting of the big fruit crop. Write for 

 itinerary and cost of trip. 



Cotton Belt trains leave St. Louis daily, 

 9:20 a. m. and 9:32 p. m. 



E. W. La BEAUME, G. P. £ T. A., 



Cotton Belt Route, St. Louis, No. 



