54 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



:-< PITTSBURGH >. 



Revived Inland Navigation 



Our cargo of 350,000 feet of Oak and 

 Gum from our Jeffris, La., mill on its 

 way up the Mississippi River on the 

 new Gas Producing, Self Propelled 

 Steel Barge. 



This cargo was unloaded at St. Louis, Mo., 

 and Alton, 111., on August 1st and 2nd 



WE HAVE MORE IN STOCK 



D. K. Jeffris & Co. 



CHICAGO 



HARDWOODS "S'^T-t'OW PINE 



CONCORDIA LAND A TIMBER CO. MANCHF.8TER SWV MILLS 

 JelTriB, La. Manchester, AJa. 



The Old Time 

 Landlooker 



Took a look and made a guess. If 

 he underestimated by 3,000 feet to the 

 acre the buyer did not complain ; if he was 

 3,000 to 4,000' feet short, the buyer grumbled but 

 conchuled it was not a matter of great importance. 

 For 



A thousand feet of timber 

 today is worth more than an 

 acre of timber brought during 

 the days of the landlooker. 



On an investment basis it now costs less 

 to secure accurate information respecting the 

 value of timber property than it did to get a land- 

 looker's opinion during the acre days. 

 Quantity and value are not closely related. Quality 

 and accessibility govern timber values. If you wish 

 to learn all about the value of your timber get a 

 report from 



James D. Lacey & Co. 



Timber Land Factor* 



CRICACO, IXL., 1760 HcCormick Building. 

 POETLAND. GEE., SEATTLE. WASH., 



1318 Northwestern Balik Building. 1009 White Building, 



'\Vliolesak'rs here report a little better outlook in tlie hardwood situa- 

 tion. A. f.}\v iDQuiries are coming in now from railioads. Manufficturers 

 seem to show a little spirit in buying, although their purchases are 

 very small. Yard trade is confined to immediate needs. There is a 

 chance that the coal business will be quite a little better soon as higher 

 water will enable the coal companies to send the biggest fleet South next 

 week that has probably ever left Pittsburgh. Prices on all hardwoods 

 are badly broken and some mills have shut down either for this reason or 

 on account of no water to run. 



-< BOSTON >.^ 



The situation in this market at present may be termed relati\ely satis- 

 factory. The demand is light, but there is a very moderate call for most 

 items on the list. The unusually large number of mail offers has served 

 to reduce buying as the purchasers assume that the conditions are wholly 

 in favor of taking In the least possible amount. The change from the 

 plan of contracting ahead and cutting to order has been towards buying 

 at the last minute. Such a situation, especially after a season of greatly 

 curtailed production, is, expected to result in increased business later on, 

 probably in the late winter or spring. General business conditions here 

 are reported by good authorities to be considerably better, building projects 

 showing some Increase, failures (especially in the lumber trade) have 

 decreased, and money for sound purposes Is fairly plentiful. The local 

 hardwood dealers are lucUned to await Improved business and a consequent 

 demand at normal prices. Most of the Insistent efforts to push off stock 

 at this time are made hy shippers in the producing sections. In this proc- 

 ess of trying to get the consuming factories to take piled up stock off 

 their hands, one Inducement has called for another, and the result is that 

 values are disturbed. A good many sales are no doubt made for less than 

 the stock Is worth, and the range between the reported low prices and the 

 quotations of good mills is so great as to cause confusion and extreme 

 caution by purchasers. 



=-< BALTIMORE >-- 



The hardwood men are still waiting for the situation to clarify. They 

 have nothing to report which could he regarded as modifying the character 

 of the trade. It Is felt that until after the first of the year the buyers 

 must be expected to hold off wih the placing of orders, and that a general 

 tendency will prevail to hold back as much as possible. Meanwhile, the 

 range of prices In the domestic trade has not become more definite. While 

 It does not appear that good marketable stocks arc unduly plentiful, or 

 that anything like congestion prevails, still, the prolonging of the period 

 of Inactivity has rather tended to increase the desire to take orders, and 

 this has been against a steadying of the market. Some of the woods, 

 or certain grades, are stated to be rather weak, among them being the 

 better quality of poplar, and sound wormy chestnut. On the other band. 

 It is stated— and these reports have gained in definlteness of late — that a 

 better feeling has begun to manifest Itself, and not a few of the hara- 

 wood men are willing to hazard fairly specific predictions that a marked 

 improvement may be looked for after the first of the year. They point 

 to the growing disposition of the foreign buyers to place orders, usually 

 at an advance. Unless present indications should prove altogether mis- 

 leading there is a fair prospect that the export business will pick up, 

 which hope. If realized, would make the sellers in the domestic markets 

 take courage. For the present, the demand from furniture manufacturers, 

 for a time rather active, has settled down to very moderate proportions, 

 and little Is expected from this source until after the first of the year. 

 In fact, the hardwood trade Is preparing to settle down to a season of 

 even more pronounced quiet than has prevailed since the war, and accept 

 It as one of the things always to be looked for at this season. If It is 

 rather more emphasized than usual, the extraordinary conditions that 

 prevail must not be lost sight of. Over and above all this, however, is the 

 growing belief that the lowest point has been touched and that the trend 

 of developments with the new year will be upward. 



=-< COLUMBUS y 



The hardwood trade in Columbus and central Ohio has ruled fairly 

 steady during the past fortnight. Demand is as good as could be expected 

 under the circumstances, and prospects for the future are not so bad as 

 formerly. On the whole the tone is fair and lumbermen generally believe 

 a better trade will take place after the first of the year. 



One of the best features of the trade is the better buying on the part of 

 manufacturing establishments. This Is especially true of factories making 

 furniture and vehicles. Implement factories are also buying better. 

 Manufacturing on the whole appears to be recovering from the depression 

 and looking for a better run of business. 



In the retail line buying is being done by dealers whose stocks are low. 

 They are not increasing them but are compelled to buy from time to time. 

 The pleasant weather has enabled building operations to proceed later than 

 usual and that has had a good effect on the hardwood trade. On the 

 whole the retail business Is in fair shape. 



.Shipments are coming out promptly and dry stocks In the hands of 

 shippers are not very large. Prices are fairly well maintained at the 

 levels which have prevailed for some time. Some cutting Is being done 



