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Copyright, The IIardwoud Company, I'Jlo 



Published in the Interest of the American Hardwood Forests, the Products thereof, and Logging, Saw 



Mill and Woodworking Machinery, on the lOth and 25lh of each Month, by 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



Edgar H. Defebaugh, President 

 Edwin W. Meeker, Managing Editor 

 Hu Maxwell, Technical Editor 



Entire Seventh Floor Ellsworth Building 

 537 So. Dearborn Street, CHICAGO 

 Telephones: Harrison 8086-8087-8088 





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Vol. XLI. 



CHICAGO. OCTOBER 25, 1915 



No. 1 



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Review and Outlook 



General Market Conditions 



SOME INTERESTING FIGURES ty|iii-al of all northern hardwood 

 operations came to light during the jia.st week at a meeting of 

 northern manufacturers. Details of these figures will be found else- 

 -where in this issue. Briefly, they show that there has been a reduction 

 in cut of northern hardwoods, jiarticularly of Michigan stocks, of 

 practically twenty-five per cent as compared to last year, and that since 

 the first of July there has been an excess of shipments over cut of all 

 grades of hardwoods of about .34,000,000 feet in lower Michigan alone. 

 AVith the low-grade situation in bad sTiape all summer, the last two 

 weeks have seen a marked development in the demand for poorer >^toeks 

 in all of the Michigan hardwoods, and this is certainly equally true 

 of similar woods on the other side of the lake, with the result that 

 there has been a general increase that should average about one dollar a 

 thousand in going prices. Manufacturers in that territory attribute 

 the strengthened valuations to the bettering of the tie market and the 

 influence of excellent conditions in the box manufacturing industry. 



A close survey of the furniture factories, at least those within a 

 radius of 500 to fiOO miles of Chicago, reveals the fact that almost 

 all of them are working now on full union time schedule. It is quite 

 likely that in a good many cases the full quota of men is not em- 

 ployed, but at the same time forces are gradually being augmented 

 because of a much better call for all classes of furniture. A specially 

 pleasing part of this development is the increase in demand for fur- 

 niture taking high-priced woods such as mahogany, and those in which 

 expensive woods are used in the form of veneers. This has brought a 

 much healthier tone in the veneer and fancy wood situation. A real 

 impetus in piano sales has had its effect especially in the higher 

 priced woods so that those handling quartered oak, mahogany, highly 

 figured gum, American walnut and other similar raw materials are 

 congratulating themselves on the jjresent situation and the immediate 

 outlook. 



At the same time the call for goods in the moderately priced lines is 

 continuing to show improvement even over the fairly satisfactory 

 situation that has prevailed right along. Following the last furniture 

 shows, which did not in themselves offer much encouragement in the 

 matter of actual sales, there has developed a very good demand which 

 is showing a consistent, continued character. Furniture dealers evi- 

 dently have found that they could not get along with the depleted line 

 of stocks which they had been carrying, and have been compelled to 

 put in their orders for early delivery. 



Cold statistics show that building records have been broken in a 

 good many large centers thus far, the month of September especially 

 being excellent. It cannot be said that the total building is in excess 



of records heretofore established, but the last figures certainly show 

 up materially better than figures for corresponding periods of recent 

 months. In fact, were these statistics not available the true condi- 

 tion of affairs would be indicated by a remarkable shortage of certain 

 grades of flooring, particularly in the northern woods. It is stated 

 that on certain grades an over-call of from 150 to 200 per cent above 

 available stocks is a matter of immediate fact, and that in all grades 

 the call for hardwood flooring is excellent. 



Hardwood Record notes in another editorial an instance which, 

 while in itself of . no great moment, is particularly encouraging to 

 handlers of southern stock. There has been a persistent rumor in the 

 last few weeks that stocks of gum were nowhere near what they 

 were supposed to have been, and the instance referred to in which a 

 furniture manufacturer asks for immediate shipment on a car of sap 

 gum without breathing one word of price or other specifications, cer- 

 tainly shows that these rumors are based on fact. The true state of 

 affaii-s is always revealed most pertinently by instances of this char- 

 acter, and there have been a great many of them in the last few 

 months which the trade is entirely justified in accepting as indicative 

 of change of front on the buyer 's part. For instance, a large northern 

 manufacturer told recently of having offered a certain line of stock 

 at a price that was two dollars over what he had been receiving up 

 to then. His knowledge of stock conditions and of the trade demand 

 convinced him that the lumber was worth more than he had been 

 getting. The figures did not seem to startle the purchasing agent, 

 who, however, asked for a few hours of grace in which to consider 

 the proposition. The order was placed by telephone the same 

 afternoon. 



The northern manufacturers are already getting substantial benefit 

 from the better tone in the yellow pine markets as hemlock has expe- 

 rienced a certain impetus that is going to carry it to a point several 

 dollars over the low markets that have held all summer. Northern 

 manufacturers are to be congratulated on their aggressive efforts 

 to take advantage of all the ground they gain, through their pending 

 educational campaign tending to familiarize architects and builders 

 with the uses of hemlock for certain purposes. 



The Cover Picture 



THE GLORY OF THE LUGGING YEARS has departed from the 

 scene represented in the cover picture of this issue of Hardwood 

 Record; but another glory has taken its place. The stream which 

 comes into view with such strength and vigor is the Pere Marquette 

 river that flows from the farms and forests of Michigan and pours 

 into Lake Michigan at Ludington. It is not one of the large rivers 



