28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



the experienced exporter accepts them as a 

 matter of course. The inquiry for walnut is 

 unabated and logs as well as lumber of good 

 quality command remunerative prices. There 

 is a market for all the walnut that is gotten 

 out the foreign consumer who is able to pay 

 the' price being firm in his preference for this 

 wood. Values, of course, range according to 

 finality, but the quotations are high enough to 

 furnish an inducement for holders of stocks 

 to bring them out. 



\ great deal of hardwood continues to go 

 into the manufacture of store fixtures and 

 interior furnishings in buildings erected in 

 the burnt district here, and all the wood- 

 working establishments are busy on such 

 work The fixtures are as a rule far more 

 elaborate than those destroyed by the fire, 

 which has proved a benefit in so far as it 

 enabled enterprising storekeepers to install 

 costly furnishings and thus compel competi- 

 ,..,. to follow suit. The standard for stores 

 has been materially raised. 



Detroit. 

 There is no special change to be uuted in 

 hardwood market conditions unless it be that 

 business is a trifle quieter. Long-headed dealers, 

 who always maintain their equilibrium under all 

 conditions, have been checking up this years 

 June business with the business done in the cor- 

 responding month of 1904 and 1903. The result 

 shows that the present month has been fully 

 as eood as the same month in preceding years. 

 Trade invariably becomes duller after the mid- 

 dle of June and a revival is not looked for un- 

 ,il about August l. when consumers begin put- 

 ting in stocks for fall business. It is not a 

 question of prices, but simply of demand. The 

 relative position of the different hardwoods in 

 this market is substantially the same as re- 

 ported a fortnight ago. 



Louisville. 

 The hardwood lumber market of Urol 

 has not undergone any very marked change at 

 any time this season, but it appears to have 

 been gradually improving, and today the mar- 

 ket is in better shape than it has been auy 

 time this vear. There is quite a variance in 

 the opinions ol the members of the trade here, 

 which makes a definite outline of conditions 

 rather difficult. An example of ibis variance 

 is to be found in the Quotations made locally 

 on quartered oak. Within two days' time the 

 writer found three sets of quotations on 4/4 

 quarter-sawed oak, and they were $59, $65 and 

 $70 Apparently these different quotations had 

 been made on practically the same grade of 

 ] and if this is a fact. It looks as if the 

 lion might be improved by local manufac- 

 turers and dealers getting together and hav- 

 ome understanding about values, for then- 

 is evidently no need for such variations if 



the stock re ted on was the same grade. 



And it may be news to some of them to know 

 that there is this much variation. 



In regard to poplar values aud the poplar 

 ,„.,,,, is also quite a variation. Some 

 be local dealers have been holding ship- 

 ping cu >plar at $17, while some local plan 



ing mill men have ght mis class of stock 



recently as low as si 1.50. This Is an 

 ,11, low record for this grade of poplar in the 

 Louisville market, and should not be taken 

 ..,„ representing thi actual market values, as 



,,. i inu B turers and dealers will 



. ii stock at these figures. 



Indianapolis. 



Although the hardw I lumber situation Is 



| U8 I .., little quiet In [ndlanapolis at present. 



oldlng an optimistic view for 



millions in the near future There 



something of a lull In the hardwood 



t during the season of the furniture ex 



furniture manufacturers are 



then holding off for a little to see Just what 

 they want to buy. At the conclusion of the 

 furniture exhibits, however, hardwood men here 

 are expecting a good market. 



Another reason for the prosperous outlook 

 for the summer is the large amount of build- 

 ing which is being done, not only in Indian- 

 apolis but throughout the state generally. This 

 will create a good demand for both hardwood 

 and finishing material. Indianapolis contrac- 

 tors have placed good orders for hardwoods 

 this spring, and will place other good orders 

 before the end of summer, for there is an ex- 

 ceptionally large volume of building being done 

 here this year. In fact, 1903 is bound to be 

 the banner building year in the city's history. 

 The shipments this month have been light. 

 and they will probably be just as light during 

 July. From the first of August ou. however, 

 dealers expect them to increase in volume two- 

 fold. There is only a fair stock of lumber 

 on band now, but this will be added to con- 

 stantly in anticipation of these increased or- 

 ders, for both shipment and local delivery. 



I i.re are no changes in prices reported. 

 The demand for plain oak Is still steady. 

 Plain oak has led the hardwoods all Bprlng 

 in point of inquiries and orders, with quar- 

 tered oak next. Walnut Is also selling well. 

 Satisfactory weather conditions have prevailed 

 during the greater part of June. 



Saginaw Valley. 

 lli, hardwood lumber market on the whole 

 Is much better than it was last year, both as 

 demand and price. The only weak item in 

 the lisi is maple At mill points where the 

 lumber is manufactured maple log run is 

 held at $14 and $14.50, and an] quantity ol 



, ii can be bought at these quotations, 



yet with the raw material weak and stock ac- 

 cumulating maple flooring is .s:i better than a 



year ago and the demand is g I There Is 



an active demand for a>li lumber and prices 

 are $2 to $4 higher than thej were last year. 

 Beech Is also firm and in good demand with 

 prices a little higher than those of last year, 

 price and consumptive requirements. 

 r , wood is also better than it was Inst year 

 Bli • i"-: ted ,i little slow, n goes Into 



furniture largely, and either the furniture peo 

 pie are carrying large stocks or are noi buj 

 ing except from hand to mouth. There is an 

 active demand for elm, and prices for this lum- 

 are ten per cent better than they were 

 last year. 



St. Louis. 



There is still more or less quietness In 

 the hardwood Made in this market. Sales 

 departments are having no great difficulty to 

 meet demands, and this condition Is expected 

 to continue for at least several weeks to come. 

 There Is an atmosphere of relaxation abroad, 

 but for all that the aggregate of sales is quite 

 good, In view of circumstances. Buyers of 

 large quantities are scarce, the furniture man- 

 nta, Hirers being especially noticeable by rea- 

 son of their slight demands upon supplies the 

 pa I l»' falling off has now ex- 



tended even to the planing mill and other 

 Interests which a short time ago were lively 

 factors in the market. All this has given a 

 decidedly tect to the local hardwood 



situation, and is more or less disappointing 

 when contrasted with the roseate views enter- 

 tained earlier In the year. 



Oak, ami more especially plain oak, is in 

 fairly good demand. The planing mill and 

 -asli and door fai tories are still consuming this 



v ;it. about as fast as they can get 



it In good shipping condition, and the price Is, 

 therefore, stead] and well maintained. Pop- 

 lar looks as if It was about to take on new 

 life, and handlers of the wocl would certainly 

 welcome a revival of activity in this direction. 

 Ash is being called for by ear builders in 

 fairly larj es, but otherwise there Is 



not much movement in it. Prices, however, 

 are well maintained, and dealers are satisfied 

 with the outlook. Cottonwood and gum are 

 quiet, but are beginning to show signs of im- 

 provement all along the line. 



Cypress is a good seller, and is being called 

 for at a lively rate. The call is coming from 

 all quarters — the demand for mixed car lots as 

 well as straight car lots being really pressing 

 from some points. It is true that mills at 

 some places have suffered and are suffering 

 for want of logs, but this is not expected to 

 affect the situation to any very perceptible ex- 

 tent. The big manufacturing consumers are 

 placing orders in a way that shows their con- 

 fidence in the future, and altogether the cy- 

 press situation is the best known in this mar- 

 ket at this season for several years past. 



Buffalo. 



The slight slackness in the hardwood trade 

 continues, though as a rule the members of 

 the tre.de art setting good orders in every- 

 thing, so that the] are as eager as ever to add 

 to their supplies. Oak leads in activity and 



pra do so right along. It is a good 



indication In that branch of the trade to 

 find so many dealers reporting sales of quar- 

 tered oak. which has been slack for a long 

 time, owing to its high price as compared 

 with plain i ak. These prices are not so far 

 apart as they were, and the better movement 

 of quail, i,.l is no doubt due to that. At 

 the same time there is not much falling off 

 in plain oak 



When om -• arches for the sourci of the 

 slackness, it is not easy to find, so that the 

 difficulty may be largely on account of the 

 much better demand for white pine, which 

 seems to become more active every week. 

 Hardwoods will have to come in some time, 

 as they always do, though so far as appears 

 here the consumption of hardwoods is decid- 

 ,.,]]>• suiall a< eompared with pine. Southern 

 woods, especially poplar and yellow pine, are 

 In moderate demand, with cypress doing bet- 

 ter on account of its being used so generally 

 as a substitute for yellow pine. 



Hardw I yards here are well stocked, 



though it Is not easy to rind a supply south. 

 the wet weather "till making it hard to get 

 logs there. Still when our dealers go that 

 way after stock they usually get it. There 

 is always call for all the birch that can be 

 found: maple sells fairly well and the de- 

 mand for ash and elm is up to the supply. 

 Chestnut and basswood are still quiet. 



Memphis. 

 Hardwood conditions lure havi undergone 

 little change dining the past fortnight. Some 

 dealers say they are getting a few more or- 

 d,ts than they were, while others report some 

 falling off in the demand, with the result that 

 the recent average has been about maintained. 

 The situation is. so far as members of the 

 trade will commit themselves, very healthy. 

 Stocks of lumber in first hands are generally 

 light, while consumers are not believed, 

 through their long continued policy of buying 

 from hand to mouth, to have accumulated 

 much stock for their future requirements. 

 There are more mills running in the Memphis 

 district now than for some time, but they are 

 not all of them in operation even yet, despite 

 the fact that there have been four or five 

 weeks of practically rainless weather. This 

 is due to He carcity of timber which prom- 

 ises to be a rather serious handicap through- 

 out the summer. Thus to the lightness of 

 slocks in hand may be added the comparative 

 smallness of the amount to be placed on 

 sticks, with the result that the manufacturer 

 and the wholesaler alike feel quite comforta- 

 ble over the outlook. There is no pressure 

 whatever to sell, and the first instance is yet 

 to be reported of a manufacturer or wholesali i 



