28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Fairly busy on house trim alone. The tem- 

 iture during the past tew 'lays has fallen 

 mil trade is once more becoming normal for 

 in. season. Hand to mouth purchases by re- 

 tailers .in'] local manufacturers seem to be 

 the rule, as they hope that lower prices may 

 . in iii.. full, (in,, thins,- is certain, thai 



'ding i" the greatly increased amount 



..i building contracts awarded during the past 



in weeks throughout New England there 

 win i„. :i largi ased demand. It is 



hard to sell at lasl month's i.rices. 



Prices for inch ones and twos standard 

 average grade, eti . rule a- follows: Quar- 

 i white oak, $78.50 i" *s»; plain white 



j, {49 i- $51; elm, $40; whitewood, $ts; 

 whitewood bright saps, $::. brown ash, 



$47 to $48.50; rough maple, $33; black walnut, 



$100; cherry %■'■> ami sycam $45 to $ls. 



Plain white oak anil brown ash are scarce, 

 g i stock being in good di maud. The sup- 



,,] ,,l .|i ■, ov pi. -s I \ ■■!■> 1 !• 'I ami ii. I- i 



: ,. taki n La futup distant delivery. 



p p r , pun from 1 1 1 to J15.50, ac- 



, tig to drj ness of lumbei . desirnbiln 

 ils slain. 



New York. 

 i i,,. r ,. ,s i, in little of Interest to note In cur 



i,„i iinnhv I conditions. Some of the 



,,, , ertaln sections of the district who handle 



uothlnf inn bardw is continue to report an 



easing oft In demand, but believe that the 



summer and earlj will vide a B I rol 



i business. On I ither band, the n 



facturlng trade Is ai tlve and the demand tali 



Then again, the buildings started In tl arly 



Bprlng have been completed, while those started 



later have che point where the 



hardwoods enter In Taking building conditions 



«i ., . hi i .ii t and prospei tlve, there have 



,, [ e w years which have i n more productive 



of business to the i ber Interests Ham the 



present, 



In the wholesale mart ndltions ir< very 



linn and many houses are much handicapped for 

 want "i lumber. A tev, complaints are beard, 



but they are easily explained aside n a busl 



ness standpoint In hardwoods It Is true that 



there seems i ample stocks ol certain kinds 



to go round, but on tl tlier hand, ninny firms 



are sold out tor thirty days ahead, and all told 

 the hardwood situation need cause no alarm for 

 tlll . Da iance ol the year. Plain oak, ash, 

 .h.sii.i.i and poplar are the leaders, with the 

 balance ol the list a little sluggish. Stocks are 

 Dot over plentiful and prices are nun pretty 

 much throughout the whole list 



Baltimore. 

 The encouraging trade conditions that have 

 characterized the lumber trade for some time 



past ii Dealers are at present det t 



chiefly i" locating marketable mocks that can 

 mrchased at prices low enough to promise 

 B profit. This Is not an easy thing to do, for 

 the manufacturer is in practically absolute con 

 i,,, i ,,, the situation and can command his own 

 terms so a. tlve is the Inquiry. Nearlj all the 



plant una. ts which will see] >" 



running at full capacltj tor i iths to •■ 



and new ordi i oot be placed except with 



the proviso that deliveries are not to 

 until within the next four months or more, 

 b prices are high, no trouble is expert- 

 lumber, and it is taken up as 



us ii can ned out. 



Among the various woods none is stronger 

 than plain sawed oak, which Is commanding 

 what may i"' regarded as record figures Fot 

 ,i idi bad their In- 

 ning ,. itti ntion now, plain 

 sawed lumber having the run. The tendency 

 .„„,„ to ecure sources ol supply 

 Interest in mills and their tint 

 ,i thus virtually becoming manu 

 evelopment Han la bavins 



effect upon the quotations for stuinpagc, which 

 is very high. Lumber is going abroad in con- 

 siderable quantities, and exporters are entirely 

 satisfied with the outlook. Stocks in Kngland 

 and elsewhere have been appreciably reduced, 

 and this country is relied upon to supply the 

 deficiency. Ash is a good second te oak and 

 finds great favor among the manufacturers ol 

 Interior work. Chestnut and other hardwoods 

 are also selling freely, while walnut is in stead] 

 demand at figures which are governed entirely 

 by the quality of the available stocks. The for- 

 i iuii market especially is sery receptive with 

 respect to walnut, the trade there being pre 



pared to lake all the desirable stocks offered at 

 attractive prices 



Pittsburg. 



Hardwood trade conditions in the Pittsburg 

 district are such as t-i Inspire general confidence 

 in the situation. There lias ben considerable 

 Improvement In the lumber situation since July, 

 which is manifest in a continued and Increasing 

 inquiry for many woods in large orders placed 



at a time when business Is exj ted dull, In 



better collections and in more prompt shipments. 

 in most offices this statement -villains the wilted 



api ranee ol men ol affairs in the lumber world 



who are usually at their cool mountain retreats 

 this time "i year. So busy are they that the 



customary let down has hardly I n experienced 



this month, and a few firms have the daring to 



i that July Is the best summer month 

 bave ever experiet I 



iuk is probably In strongest demand Price! 



nil., v.-iy firm with : iisinui upward tendencs 



rhere Is a g i call Cor red oak. especially In 



inch stuff for finishing, The call for heavy oak 



timbers I manufacturing firms and for bridge 



and rivet wok is heavy. Some larg -ders 



bave recently been booked bj Pittsburg firms Cor 



while oak, most -.i which Is obtained fr West 



iii-miii Maple Is moving well. Flooring is 

 one of the leaders In the market ibis summer. 



B Ii Is being sold quite extensively ol late as 



n substitute for hemlock since the latter w I 



iins gone up in price and is bo hard to get Most 



..i the i .Ii. however, i.s supplied direct from 



the local mills and little .a ii reaches Pittsburg. 



There Is comparatively litrle good I ch left In 



Ohl western Pennsylvania and the few tracts 



are being Bnatched up eagerlj by local ..per 

 ators. Ash and hickory arc selling better than 

 ii month ago, The hulk of Ibis lumber is for 

 small manufacturers, handle and spoke facto 

 lies, md goes to the smaller towns. Some birch 

 is being bandied in the Pittsburg market chiefly 



tor finishing and ve r work. This trade, hovt 



ever, is supplied mostly from the tlrms In the 

 northwest who seem to be able to supply a bet 



ter article nnd at lower cost than Ii ■ en 



i eras. 



Pittsburg lumber firms are very fortunate 



this Mm. i In having a remarkably large call 



for iianiw d lumber from the United states 



government, the coal companies, the filtration 

 plant, the steel mills and the railroads. In 

 addition to regular railroad building, there Is a 

 large amount of eleciii, railway construction 

 going on, and telephone companies are making n 

 lively market for poles In Pennsylvania and 

 Ohio. Conditions In the industrial world point 

 to a heavy fall trade, and it is the ..pinion of 

 the hardwood lumber fraternity In Pittsburg 

 that they will be called upon to till more and 

 larger orders than bave ever been put on their 

 books befoi e 



Saginaw Valley. 

 The hardvt i market Is taking us midsum- 

 mer siesta. It has had a healthy season and 



is in g I shape, Tli ly easy thing mi the 



list is maple, and log run stock of this grade 

 is being bought UP at interior milling points 

 ai $14 and $14.50. On the river thin m 

 such as Is utilized In flooring, has mostlj 



betn sold under season contracts, the stock 

 I" ins offered coming largely from interior 

 mills. There i.s a good call for ash and the 

 iiuantity available is limited. .Michigan as 

 well as southern oak is firm and is moving 

 well. Beech and elm are in good demand 

 this season, the former being used extensively 

 for screen doors and flooring. Rasswood has 

 I n doing fairly well this summer. 



There is a very fair stock of hardwood 

 ible. Small mills along the railroad lines 

 .ut a good deal and local dealers pick it up 

 and bring it to the vallej markets, where it 

 is handled in the yards. This is largely 

 tucked up In log run lots and sorted after it 

 goes into the yard. There is a g I season- 

 able trade in maple Mooring, .md the domesti. 

 market is firm as well as the export. The 



"I ..ok for a healthy fall trade is encourag- 



Buffalo. 

 lb. hardwood lumber trade is still rather dull, 

 and former relative conditions continue There 

 la i slightl] stronger demand, if possible, for 

 plain oak nnd a slackening off in the demand for 

 basswood, chestnut, maple ami p.-piai- Some 

 dealers find a slower movement of ash, espe 

 daily at the southern mills, but others report 

 that the movement is very g>...d. considering the 



i lerate amount to be had. Bircb sells well 



a. i elm is wanted In excess of supply. The 

 activity In quartered oak does not appear to 



keep up Well. 



There is much caution al i the purchase >.i 



hardwood lumber that comes In by lake, espe 



clalij Passu t. which was brought In Last sea 



son so much bey I the d i that there was loss 



on It, and there is siill more to be had In Mi. In 

 mm nnd Wisconsin than can be taken care ol. 

 stocks ihat were curried over there Insi wlntei 

 are not generally salable here, as many yards 

 me down to a normal supply and are not will- 

 ing in lake on any mole at present, 



There is complaint of maple and other Boor 

 ing. A dealer here says that there Is a list price 

 ■ i flooring in the city which the mills that make 

 ii are adhering to very well. This list Is so 

 low that ii takes a very .lose manager to get 

 much profit out ol It, nnd some mills are not 



able to com n ahead. He would like to see 



an advance nnd seems to think that the trade 



would stand it, though there is always lompe 

 lilh.u. both from the West and the South. 



Detroit. 



The two weeks following the Fourth ol July 

 are usually the dullest period ol the year with 

 Detroit hardwood dealers, and the past fortnight 

 has been n.. exception to the rule. Some stock 

 has been arriving, chiefly by vessel, nnd a fair 

 volume of shipments has been made. These. 

 however, have i a almost wholly on old con- 

 tracts. New orders have been very tew Indeed. 



A result ,.f quieter conditions in the maple 

 market has been the very radical curtailment 



Of the production of thick maple plunks. S.m t 



the largest I lufacturers are now cutting all 



their maple to Inch nnd inch nnd a quarter stock. 

 these being the standard thicknesses torthe floor- 

 ing factories A scarcity of thick maple is not ini 

 probable, as s,„,,, ns the stock now dry shall 

 have gone into consumers' hands. Birch shows 

 n better tone than a fortnight ngo, and there is 

 little fear but that the tall demand will take 

 care ol all desirable stocks ol this standard 

 furniture n I. Bassvi I continues slow, ex- 

 cept the item of mill culls, while the other hard 

 w Is me featureless. 



Indianapolis. 



No change Is noticeable In the hardw I 



lumber situation In Indianapolis, Business is 

 ..mi quiet We have bad some might] scorch- 

 ing a a y S here during the past fortnight, al- 

 most too hot to talk business, even tl 



