HARDWOOD RECORD 



one wanted to. Though the business of the 

 month will be comparatively small, hardwood 

 men firmly believe that the quietness of trade 

 will very soon be displaced by renewed ac- 

 tivity, and that before August is very far 

 along, considerable business will be coming the 

 way of hardwood men. No changes are re- 

 ported in quotations. 



20 



Bristol. 

 Business in this section continues good. Prices 

 are firm, demand heavy and supply fairly good. 

 Oak is commanding a high price and no ma- 

 terial change is noted in its condition either 

 relative to price or demand, but it is clearly 

 apparent that the supply is fast becoming di- 

 minished and much trouble among the local deal- 

 ers is being encountered in filling orders for 

 this stock. The demand for the higher grades 

 of poplar is heavy and prices good, but the lower 

 grades are not moving: as fast as a few weeks 

 ago. The market in this particular is somewhat 

 sluggish, but it is expected that this condition 

 will soon be relieved. Chestnut is in strong 

 demand, but there seems to be a falling off in 

 the demand for some of the lower grades of 

 the stock. 



Cincinnati. 



Trade in this market during the past two 

 weeks has been quiet, but no complaint is beard 

 by dealers and manufacturers, who relished the 

 letup owing to the excessive heat. It is lie' 

 consensus of opinion that a decided improve- 

 ment will become manifest before the end of 

 next month, as it is expected that furniture 

 manufacturers, who are already inquiring for 

 stock, will send in healthy orders for their fall 

 and winter wants. Woodworking plants antici- 

 pate increased business shortly and improvement 

 will come from that source also. 



Dry plain oak has met with the best demand, 

 with quartered sawed white and red a close sec- 

 ond. Bed gum for export has been shipped on 

 a moderate scale. Ash and cypress have been 

 in small supply and prices maintained on a firm 

 basis. Cottonwood has dragged, especially in 

 the lower grades. The better classes of poplar 

 were moved at a fair rate, but the lower grades 

 were dull. 



St. Louis. 



The hardwood trade of St. Louis is still 

 quiet for the most part. The hot spell of the 

 past two days seems to have emphasized the 

 dullness of the situation. 



Plain oak is in strong demand. Consumers 

 of this wood are steadily in the market for good 

 dry stock. Quartered oak has been a little 

 brisker during the past two weeks and sales 

 have been very fair in light of general condi- 

 tions. Ash is dull with the exception of three- 

 inch stock, which is meeting a fair demand. 

 Poplar continues in the same quiet condition into 

 which it lapsed several weeks ago. There is a 

 slight activity in soft maple, while gum and 

 cottonwood are moving principally on old con- 

 tracts. Hickory is in moderate demand by 

 wagon manufacturers. 



Nashville. 

 Although the market for this month shows a 

 substantial increase over the business done dur- 

 ing July, 1904, some of the lumbermen are com- 

 plaining of a dullness that is unaccountable. 

 This is especially true of the poplar market, 

 which is slow. Trade in other lines is more en- 

 couraging, however, and the present lull in pop- 

 lar is not expected to last. Nashville lumber- 

 men are expecting a big fall business in all 

 lines. There is no noticeable decrease in in- 

 quiries for plain oak of all grades, both white 

 and red. Inquiries for quartered oak are live 

 Iter. Chestnut gets scarcer all the time and 

 lumbermen are now wading into second growth 

 in the Tennessee mountain country. Dealers 



have no trouble in selling all the red cedar they 



set. There is a steady demand for big 

 piling, inn barn poles an- dragging a little. 



The local retail trade is brisk enough owing 



t" He- building 1. a here. The building per 



mils for Julj show an Increas more than 



fourteen per cent over last year. In fact, retail 

 trade in the cities in the South was never known 

 to be s., brisk before. The local box factories 

 are keeping the market cleaned of poplar .nils 

 There is Quite a demand for all bouse finishing 



timbers. The local furniture 1 pie and 1 



tractors are buying briskly, 



Ashland, Ky. 

 Throughout the entire month of July the 

 market has been unusually brisk In high 

 grade lumber, which is somewhat of .1 

 prise to all the manufacturers in this , 

 tion, as everyone had expected a dull month, 

 and arc very agreeably surprised in finding 

 that the reverse has been the case. Not onlj 

 has the volume of business received been 

 very satisfactory, but it is also bringing the 

 full list prices, and no complaint whatevei 

 is heard regarding trade conditions in this 

 vicinity. 



Memphis. 



A more hopeful aspect is given to the hard- 

 wood lumber situation here by the large number 

 .if inquiries which indicate that buyers are 

 badly in need of lumber and point t.. a sub 

 stantial increase in sales within the next thirty 

 lo sixty clays. Business is more active than it 

 was a month or even two weeks ago, but there 

 is no rush even yet. There is an excellent de- 

 mand for plain-sawed red and white oak firsts 

 and see. mils, with but a limited amount of this 

 st. i.k available in shipping condition. The 

 feature of the market, in fact, is the continued 

 strength and activity of this one item of the 

 list, which has held first place now in this 

 market for more than a year. Quarter-sawed 

 ted and white oak are in very limited demand, 

 with but an occasional sale here and there at 

 about the same price as has recently prevailed. 



Ash is in good demand and moves readily at 

 full values. There is likewise a somewhat 

 urgent .all for upper grade cypress and for se- 

 lects, although shops are somewhat quiet. There 

 is an advancing tendency in the higher grades 

 and in selects and some of the trade here ex- 

 press the view that, on this account, there will 

 be a more active call for shops. 



There is a very satisfactory demand for firsts 

 and seconds red gum and clear saps % to 7 v 

 inch stock. Thicker lumber in the same grades 

 is not showing any pronounced strength or 

 activity. The low grades of gum are dull. Cot- 

 tonwood shows a dragging tendency. There is 

 a scarcity of box boards and there is no diffi- 

 culty encountered in selling these at very sat- 

 isfactory prices. The firsts and seconds are in 

 moderate request, but the low grades are de- 

 cidedly disappointing when taken in connection 

 with the decided shortage in production this 

 season. Box men say that the situation in the 

 lower grades is the direct outgrowth of a slow 

 demand and not of any excess In production 

 and for that reason they look for some improve 

 ment in this wood soon. The upper grades of 

 poplar sell with a fair degree of promptness. 

 but the lower grades show a heavy tone anil 

 move slowly. 



The output of the mills in the Memphis dis 

 trict recently has been very limited compared 

 with the average. There were six weeks .0 

 almost uninterrupted rains and reports received 

 Show that mills In Ibis territory were Idle 

 of the tiine. The smaller mills have been al- 

 most entirely out Of business because of lien 

 poor facilities for getting oul Iocs. The 

 mills which have skiililers and other modern 

 appliances have made some progress, but re 

 with them have not been altogether sat: 

 torj Conservatlvi estimates are thai there is 



■' B ™ - the pasl six weks ol approxl 



wateij itt'N per eenl compared with the normal. 

 The weather is better ,„,„- than for 

 there having been little rain during the pasl 

 ten .lays. But the bottoms are still wet and 

 it win i,e Bome time before logging operations 



will be resui 1. 



In view ol Mi,, scarcity of dry lumber and 

 the marked shortage in stock L-oine .,1, 

 most of the manufacturers ami wholesaler! 

 are sending out circulars showing some rs 

 prices Buyers are replying In some m st 

 that they are able 1., secure their lum 



the old figures ami that thej are there 



willing to 1 t it,., advances asked, but the 



lumber Interests ben- believe that higher [ - 



are practlcallj rtaln ami there i- nothing on 



the bargain counter so tar as Memphis i- con 

 cerned. 



New Orleans. 



The a. tii in in the hardw 1 market con 



ihnies practically along the same lines ami in 

 the same degree a- two weeks ago. 1 orelgn di 



id for liar.iw I logs is Strong, an.l ship., 



' Louisiana ports have been heavy, a sllgbtlj 



increased demand for boxes, furniture an. 

 interior fittings and luraishlnj en a 



slight impetus to the local market in these sev 

 eral lines. 



interest seems to Increase rather than dlmin 



isb in the development of the hardn 1 timber 



lands of Louisiana and .Mississippi |, i_ ,,.,„ 

 certain that several considerable undertal 

 ate going to lie carried into effect that will 



largelj broaden the Held from whence the 1 1 



wood raw materia! may lie drawn 



Kansas City. 



Tl nlj unsatisfactory feature in the haul 



« I situation at this time is the gen 



scarcity of stock at the mills. There has prob 



ablj never I n a time in the history of the 



trade when the mills have been so stea 

 handicapped in their operations as this year. 

 During January severe weather prevent., 1 opi 

 lions, and from February lo date it has rained 

 the greater part of each month, hampering the 

 running of the mills and preventing logging 

 the best advantage. The output has been cur- 

 tailed at least fifty per cent at most mills, and 



at this tin n the I've of what conditions IndJ 



eate will he an active fall season, there are few 

 mills that have anj unsold stock worth men- 

 tioning that is in shipping condition. At some 

 of the wholesale centers tie- yards bin.- a fair 

 assortment, and the Kansas City hardwood men 

 seem to have been fortunate in getting a fail- 

 stock on hand, so they will he able to take care 



of the early fall demand in g 1 shape. The 



Stock the nulls have I n able to cut durili. 



past month is drying very slowly lie.an.se of the 



wel weather, and there will he 1 parativelj 



little new stock in fan shipping condition in 

 less than Ihiee months. A good main buyers 

 appreciate tin* situation and aie placing their 

 requisitions well in advance of their nee. is. hut 

 more arc taking chances ami holding back orders 

 tin stock, and these may lind it very difficult to 

 gel the required stock when they need it. 



All. markets report a confident feeling in the 

 trade prospects, ami at Kansas City this 6 

 Is marked. The demand through 'be year lo 

 • ally has been more than normal owing to tic 

 steady building activity. Since the first of Julv 



there has I n a v.iv noticeable Improvement 



in the Inquiry from the country, ant 



mtslde dealers are no« coming in quite 



freely. The pro I the S livvst is 



ted Ibis year by reason ,.1 good 1 roi 

 all kinds, ami manufacturing enterprises 

 .purine hardwoods should he in the market 

 large lots during the balai the year. Plan- 



ing mills at all points are making Inqulrl 

 factun rs R urn out bouse trim. 



