

The Trend of ^Vood Using 



Once a year, in connection with its advertising service, Hardwood 

 Record receives by corrfespondence revised reports from consumers 

 of hardwoods in all parts of the country; and incidentally some soft- 

 woods are included. The purpose of this investigation is to keep a line 

 on what will be used by manufacturers; what additions or subtractions 

 will be made, and what other changes in stocks can be foreseen. 

 These manufacturers include makers of boxes, furniture, musical 

 instruments, agricultural implements, boats, interior finish and man}- 

 other industries in all parts of the country. Each is asked what 

 woods and how much of each he expects to buy during the coming 

 year. When the answers have been received, they can be compared 

 with last year's reports, and thus can be noted any tendency to in- 

 crease or decrease i>urchases; any tendency to add new woods or drop 

 old ones, and other changes may be observed. 



Hardwood Eecord communicates yearly in this way with .3,500 

 or more manufacturers who are active buyers of hardwood, some in 

 small quantities, others in quantities very large. 



It may be noted that approximately half of these manufacturers 

 expect to purchase the same kinds of woods and in the same amounts 

 and dimensions as last year. Few of the buyers have already made 

 their purchases for the coming year. Perhaps not one in fifty has done 

 so, according to reports received. Most of the others have indicated 

 a purpose to make changes in purchases. Many of the changes are 

 quite unimportant, consisting of a little more or a little less than 

 last year, or the adding of a different wood or the drojiiiing of one 

 formerly in use. 



Changes in Purchases 



The table which follows brings together for convenient view certain 

 changes which appear when this year's requirements are compared 

 with last year's. The figures in the first cohimn of the table show 

 the number of firms which have added woods this year that were not 

 used last year. For example, twenty-three companies have added 

 gum, ten have added beech, walnut, and so on down the column. The 

 second column shows the number of companies which will buy reduced 

 quantities of the listed woods the coming year, while the third column 

 of the table indicates the number of buyers who used those woods 

 last year but cx]ieit to increase their purcha-ses the coming year. 



Number of buyers Number of buyers 



Number of buyers who will purchase who will increase 



who will add k-ss of certain purchases of 



certain woods woods than last certain woods 



this year. year. this year. 



<;uni 23 12 33 



Klack walnut . 10 4 



Mahogany ... 11 8 11 



ISlrch 13 9 20 



Spruce a 1 2 



Elm 7 8 7 



Miiplo 12 !) 20 



Eecch 8 r, S 



Hemlock 3 2 1 



r.asswood G 12 9 



Tupelo 5 2 



So. pine 15 1 5 



Hickory .... 4 11 G 



Poplar 12 12 23 



White oak 5 21 .39 



Red oak 6 11 IG 



Chestnut .... 7 4 ' 2."> 



Ash G 9 11 



Cottonwood . . 2 7 



Cherry 1 5 2 



Cedar 3 



Western pine. Ill 



Black gum... '2 .0 



Douglas fir. . . 4 o 



Sycamore .... 1 3 



Cypress 5 3 Id 



White pine. .. 4 1 



Locust 1 1 



It is thus found that 187 manufacturers expect to buy certain 



woods this year which they did not use last year, and gum leads all 

 other woods in this list. The buyers who expect to reduce their pur- 

 chases this year number 163, and the second column of the table 



shows what woods will suffer by the reductions. More will reduc* 

 their purchases of white oak than any other wood, and yellow poplar 

 and basswood are also slated for considerable reductions. The third 

 column of the table, however, largely offsets these reductions, for 

 thirty-nine manufacturers announce their purpose of increasing their 

 purchases of white oak, and twenty-three wUl add to their use of 

 poplar. Gum is listed by twenty-three firms for increased use, and 

 chestnut by twenty-five, hickory by twenty-three, maple by twenty 

 and birch by the same. 



In addition to the foregoing, there were twenty-seven manufacturers 

 who announced that they would buy less than last year without stat- 

 ing exactly what woods would be reduced; while forty-one stated that 

 they will increase their purchases generally the coming year. 



Considerable change may be observed from year to year in another 

 way. Companies go out of business and others enter. Generally these 

 offset each other; but experience shows that it is easier to get dead 

 companies off the list than to get new ones on, but Hardwood 

 Record's list has been increased by a number of new manufacturers 

 during the past year, and the.v are active purchasers of hardwood 

 lunilier and dimension stock. 



High Water Again Threatens Southern Logging 



Thi> Mississippi river at Memphis is rising again, and it is 

 officially forecasted that a stage of thirty-three to thirty-five feet 

 will be seen b.y the beginning of next week. This will not be high 

 enough, even in the event the maximum stage is reached, to 

 seriously interfere with the operation of hardwood mills or other 

 woodworking plants in this immediate vicinity. However, there 

 has been a great deal of rain in the Memphis territory during the 

 past few days, and there is a vast amount of surface water. All 

 the lands between the levees and the river banks will be over- 

 flowed and there will be much seep water from the river, which 

 will interfere with work in the woods. As a result of this condi- 

 tion and of the high water, it is likely that logging operations 

 will have to be curtailed somewhat. These have been quite 

 aggressive for the past three or four weeks, and good progress 

 has been made in getting out logs. It is feared, however, that any 

 interruption of consequence to the getting out of timber will again 

 lead to a restriction of hardwood 'manufacture. It is estimated 

 that the mills in Memphis and the Memphis territory are working 

 at seventy-five to eighty per cent of full capacity, though it is 

 possible that this rate will be somewhat reduced by the conditions 

 which have been outlined. The Valley Log Loading Company is 

 operating the greater portion of its machinery in the handling 

 of logs for mills at Memphis and elsewhere in this territory, and 

 firms which operate their own logging machines are also bringing 

 out considerable quantities of timber. It is hoped by lumber 

 interests that the stage of the Mississippi will not go higher than 

 indicated by the official forecast. There has already been one 

 serious blow to the hardwood industry in the valley states this 

 season by virtue of the recent unusual flood, and the hope is 

 expressed that this particular industry may escape the further 

 serious handicap of high water. 



Practically no fear is entertained of breaks in the levee system 

 protecting against waters in the Mississippi itself. These embank- 

 ments withstood the flood which was experienced in the earlier 

 part of the year, although the stage was seven or eight feet higher 

 than that now suggested. However, the outlook is not quite so 

 promising so far as streams in Arkansas are concerned. The 

 Arkansas river itself is quite high, and there were numerous 

 breaks in the embankments protecting this stream in the recent 

 rise. These have not been fully repaired, and there is no doubt 

 that a considerable area in Arkansas will again be flooded. 

 Every effort has been made to repair the damage done to the 

 levees by the recent high water, and whatever injury is suffered 

 from any immediate overflow will probably be comparatively small. 



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