34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



are not hard to see. Stocks are very low. 

 Many mills have orders sufficient to keep them 

 running full time till January 1. Not a few 

 of them have already oversold the amount of 

 stock that it is possible to get out of their logs 

 and are beginning to hedge on inquiries, much 

 to the disgust of old established firms who 

 blame them for taking on new trade and not 

 saving their stock for the firms which have 

 stood by them in times of need and through a 

 slow market. Added to the fact that stocks 

 are low is the steadily increasing demand from 

 industrial and manufacturing circles for more 

 lumber. A still further and very potent fac- 

 tor in the hardwood situation is that the build- 

 ing situation is improving greatly. Speaking 

 of this fact the F. W. Dodge Company, which 

 covers very carefully the bulk of the territory 

 in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Ken- 

 tucky, says : 



"One of the peculiar features of the present 

 situation along construction lines is the ex- 

 termely large amount of work being refigured. 

 It is a little early to determine what part of 

 this work will go forward, but it is safe to 

 assume that quite a large percentage of it will 

 be launched. The building material market 

 continues to respond to the quickening influences 

 of this increasing demand. White pine has been 

 Increasing slowly in price, with prospects of 

 further advances shortly. There has been a 

 curtailment in the stock of yellow pine by 

 reason of the yellow fever epidemic in the 

 South, and lath and shingles are high and 

 scarce." 



Tile disposition of manufactories is to hold 

 pretty closely to available stocks. Estimates 

 air prepared with the utmost care and are 

 made subject to immediate acceptance. Prices 

 inie to go up with a vengeance and an 

 other advance of 50 cents on hemlock qt 

 this week puts the base price of that wood at 

 $18.">o per thousand. White pine took another 

 slide up the scale this week, the advance i 

 from $1 to $1.50 on Nos. 1, 2 and 3, No. 4 re- 

 maining at the old quotation. x*ellow pine is 

 advancing slowly in sympathy with other woods 

 and because it is iwing used largely as a sub- 

 stitute. I'oplar is about the only wood that 

 has stood at the old prices, but dialers say that 

 the market fully justifies an advance. Hard 

 woods are very active, with prices all that 

 could tie desired. There Is a good demand for 

 ash ami hickory in small quantities. Oak Is 

 badly wanted, the heavier timbers being In best 

 call. Spruce is much more active than during 

 tiie summer and is being substituted quite ex- 

 titsively for other woods. Shingles and lath 

 are scarce. Hemlock lath are almost out of 

 the market and spruce lath are being substi- 

 tuted at good prices. The car shortage is be- 

 coining quite a serious problem again, so that 

 unlets of any considerable size that call for 

 prompt delivery are being rejected, and sixty to 

 ninety day orders tire being ked for. 



Buffalo. 



Bardwood lumber moves well for the most 

 part, and the fall trade is expected to improve 

 steadily, Oak sells with all of its former readi- 

 ness, plain leading as usual. There is a fair 

 amount of It In yard here, so that some dealers 

 at least are able to speak with pride of the 

 good stocks they have on hand. It Is a triumph 

 for these dealers, for the territory that produces 

 oak Is very much hampered by fever quarantine 

 and it will be a long time before the mills in 

 that district are doing much busin 



Chestnut Is very active and has grown In 

 favor all the season, taking the place of oak 

 for many purposes. It promises to remain act- 

 ive right along. Ash sells well, but only white 

 is to be found In much quantity, black and 

 brown being picked up here and there, often 

 going off before any more Is located. 



re is no stir yet In basswood, which has 



been slow on account of overstock for some 

 time. It was expected to move as the present 

 season advanced, but it still takes an extra 

 effort to sell it. Maple is going slower than 

 formerly, for the same reason. Elm is scarce 

 and high, birch following oak and doing well. 

 Poplar seems to be doing better and cypress 

 continues strong. Hemlock moves fast and 

 shingles are going up. 



Nashville. 



Local lumbermen are much encouraged over 

 the way in which fall business has opened up. 

 Conditions now are more satisfactory than at 

 a corresponding period last season and the out- 

 look for the future is most roseate. The local 

 supply of lumber is holding up well, better in 

 fact than was expected at the present heavy rate 

 of consumption. Mill men are getting the cut 

 pretty well out of the river, although several 

 big plants have a lot of sawing to do yet. Plain 

 oak seems to be In greater demand than any 

 other lumber. Quartered oak is not so brisk, 

 but a good demand is noted for poplar, espe- 

 cially from eastern markets. Hardwoods are 

 being bought briskly now for use in interior 

 finishings for the many Ionises built during the 

 summer. 



Memphis. 



There has been some improvement in the 

 demand for hardwood lumber here within the 

 past fortnight and business is slowly expand- 

 ing. There Is a notable gain in Inquiries, which 

 developing Into business in many Instances, 

 Inii no! quite as rapidly as the majority of the 

 i mile wish. The export market Is somewhat 

 Blow and there is not the usual outlet in that 

 direction, but the domestic market shows 



health] c litions, and this is reflected in the 



steady demand here. 



I he production of lumber during the past 



tw.i weeks has shown s In. reuse. I,ut il is 



still i slderably short of the average for this 



time of the year. There have been heavy rains 

 and some mills have been interfered with by 

 quarantine restrictions as well as by the yellow 

 fever scare Itself. This applies only to mills In 

 the Interior. 



Coincident with the Improvement in the de- 

 mand, ii i- report.,] that there Is a little gain 



in the amount of lumber available, 'l'l pinion 



is expressed by some that just as soon :is the 



nttne restrictions are removed, there will 

 be an appreciable Increase in the amount of 

 lumber showing up at visible points. On tin' 

 other hand there are lumbermen here who be- 

 lleve that, even if there is an Increase in the 

 amount of lumber available a little later, there 

 will be such an impetus given to the demand 

 by the removal of quarantine restrictions that 

 the market will show even greater strength and 

 certainly much more activity than recently dis- 

 played. There have been almost no buyers corn- 

 in- here for weeks because of the yellow fever 

 anil When tiny are able to come, or are 

 rather willing to come (for there Is no danger 

 even now) it is expected that their presence 

 will be reflected In a larger volume of business 

 than for some months. 



Plain oak still sells very readily In all grade! 

 There is not much available in dry stock, ami 

 wno are sold ahead are having some diffi- 

 culty in getting enough to fill orders promptly. 

 ome improvement reported In quarter- 

 awed stock. Ash is in good demand, and there 

 is a good movement in cypress. Both are 

 rather scarce so far in this market. There Is a 

 slight improvement reported in gum and cot 

 tonwood. and further betterment Is confidently 

 predicted. The upper grades of cottonwood are 

 very scaree. Poplar does not show much change, 

 though there is considerable low-grade poplar 

 passing into box manufacture In competition 

 with cottonwood, which was almost entirely 

 substituted for it only a few years ago. 



Prevailing sentiment here is that there will 

 be a good demand for lumber during the fall 

 and early winter, and for this reason there 

 is no disposition to press sales. On the other 

 hand, prices are maintained with unusual firm- 

 ness 



Cincinnati. 



The bardwood situation In this market the 

 past two weeks has been highly gratifying and 

 it is the concensus of opinion that there will 

 be a further steady improvement. Furniture 

 manufacturers, who had been sounding the mar- 

 ket for some time, were liberal purchasers, 

 while agricultural implement makers and car 

 builders took fairly heavy quantities. However, 

 as tor weeks, sash and door and interior finish 

 factories furnished the readiest outlet for 

 sto.ks. Building operations continued active 

 and the outlook remains encouraging. There 

 has also been a slight improvement in the de- 

 mand from export sources, especially for high 

 grade poplar. Commons have met with a fair 

 ■ all from domestic dealers, and with supplies 

 not excessive, prices have been maintained on a 

 very firm basis. Culls, however, have dragged 

 and prices were again unsteady. Plain white 

 oak has moved well and the same may be said 

 tor quartered and red oak. There was a stiff call 

 for desirable grades of hickory and white ash, 

 and in the latter wood difficulty was reported 

 in getting No. 1 stock that is thoroughly dried. 

 A good general inquiry prevailed for cypress 

 and prices were well sustained. Chestnut was 

 active enough to absorb the bulk of offerings at 

 full figures. Cottonwood and gum displayed im- 

 proving tendencies. 



Chattanooga. 

 There is little change in the hardwood lumber 

 situation in this section. Some of the hardwood 

 lumbermen of this city do not believe that there 

 is now any greater activity than there was six 

 months ago, while others hold the opposite view. 

 All agree that the general prosperity and re- 

 markable activity in building throughout the 

 country means that next year will be a record 

 breaker in lumber circles. There are more 

 inquiries now than there have been for several 

 months, although many say that purchasers are 

 buying In smaller lots than usual. The demand 

 for plain and quartered oak is increasing, but 

 the supply continues very short. Lumbermen 

 here believe that consumers are waiting for a re- 

 ductlon in prices before they buy in large quan- 

 tities, and also that a great many of the largest 

 consumers are buying In the north and east. 



However, there Seems to lie HO prosper! of a 



reduction in the price of logs. 



New Orleans. 



A si nun.' demand for plain oak and ash is 

 the feature of the hardwood situation on the 

 other side. Plain oak prices are high and a 

 ity of dry stock Is complained of. Export- 

 ers say that they have no trouble in getting a 

 carload or two of stock, but It Is almost out of 

 the question to get large lots. An unlimited 

 demand is reported for ash logs, and up to 

 within the past week or so there has been a 

 considerable movement of this stock for export, 

 but since the recent advance In ocean rates 

 shipments have been curtailed. Quartered oak 

 prices are lower than is desirable, and there is 

 no scarcity of dry stocks. Cottonwood is get- 

 ting scarce and the movement is quieter, prices 

 being unchanged. Plenty of gum is to be had 

 in most grades and demand has improved some- 

 what, but prices are unchanged. Exporters re- 

 port a satisfactory and constant increase in the 

 • ill tor tupelo gum. Poplar Is quiet. 



Rough staves are reported In fair demand, 

 but calls for dressed stock are rare. Prices of 

 rough and dressed staves keep pace with the 

 demand 



