HARDWOOD RECORD 



35b 



Those are named in the order of their importance. Oak includes 

 more than a dozen kinds, all grouped as one; maple includes a num- 

 lir of species; red gum, yellow poplar, chestnut, and beech, are 

 irate woods, each consisting of a single species. 

 \-i for oak, the cut is declining, but some of the older producing 

 ,Hiu3 continue to saw annually surprisingly large quantities. In 

 l;il(j reports were received from oak 9,400 mills. The states lead- 

 in;; in oak production were, in the order named, West Virginia, 

 A I kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Mississippi, North Caro- 

 I. and Pennsylvania. Seventy-five per cent of all tire oak is 

 ■ iu these states, though every state cuts some of this wood. 

 --L-vcral species of maple enter into the total, but much more 

 than half is sugar maple. Forty-five per cent of all maple lumber 

 is i>roduccd in Michigan and 18 per cent in Wisconsin. The other 

 ■ •■I'liicing states, named in the order of their importance, are West 

 jinia. New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Vermont, and 

 ;inia. The cut of maple has remained almost stationary for 

 vast ten years. 

 The cut of red gum is increasing rapidly, if the tendency may 

 1m' judged by a comparison of the figures for 1916 with those for 

 I'Jl'). The increase was 36 per cent. Commercially, gum is listed 

 as red and sap, but all comes from the same tree which is known 

 to botanists as rod gum. Arkansas leads all other states in the 

 output of this lumber. 



Yellow poplar showed a slightly larger production in 1916 than 

 in the preceding year, but for the eight-year period following 

 1909, the tendency has been toward a restricted cut. West Vir- 

 ginia produces nearly twice as much as any other state. Tennessee, 

 Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina are important sources of 

 yellow poplar. 



The efforts to utilize blight-killed chestnut has had some in- 

 fluence on the output of lumber, yet the increase of 1916 over 

 1913 was only five per cent, and the increase was made in Massa- 

 chusetts, New York and Connecticut. However, West Virginia pro- 

 duced more chestnut than any other t}vo states. 



The output of birch lumber increased slightly in 1916, and the 

 largest production came from Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, and 

 New Y'ork. The cut in Maine was principally paper birch for 

 spools, but elsewhere the leading kinds were yellow and sweet 

 birch. 



Changes in Value 



No surprising changes iu lumber values are noted in comparing 



averages for 1916 with those the year before. The following table 



gives average millyard values of some of the leading hardwoods 



for the two years. 



Wood 



Oak 



Maple 



Red gum . . . 



Chestnut 17.05 16.17 Hickory 23.84 23.35 



Yellow poplar 21.89 22.45 Walnut 42.38 48.47 



Birch 19.59 16..i2 Sycamore 14.65 13.86 



Beech 16.20 14.01 



Basswood 21.05 18.89 General average.. .520.98 $19.27 



Elm 19.40 16.98 



Of the 34,791,385,000 feet of lumber actually reported in the 

 United States, 28,576,292,000 feet was softwoods and 6,215,093,000 

 feet hardwoods, or more than four feet of the former to one of the 

 latter. 



The cut of mahogany was 13,244,000 feet, but veneer is evidently 

 not included in the figure. The cut of cherry is more than half as 

 much as mahogany. The production of Japanese oak was 553,000 

 feet, and an even half million feet of oucalyiitus lumber was re- 

 ported in California. The output of some of the minor species 

 follows: 



Feet Feet 



California laurel 300,000 Box elder 64,000 



Pecan 140,000 Holly 35,000 



Persimmon 123,000 Jenisero 18,000 



Alder 119,000 Sassafras 13,000 



Myrtle 81,000 Hornbeam 6,000 



Red bay 81,000 Mulberry 3,000 



Japanese birch 69,000 



1916 1915 Wood 1916 1915 



$20.06 $18.73 Ash 23.85 22.15 



18.24 15.21 Cottonwood 17.42 17.36 



14.64 12.54 Tupelo 13.00 12.25 



Though California laurel and myrtle are separately listed, they 

 are evidently two names for the same wood; and there is no rea- 

 son why bo.\ elder should not have been included with maple, aud 

 pecan with hickory. Probably much of the sassafras was listed 

 as ash, for that is the custom with most mills cutting it. 



The production of shingles totaled 9,477,077,000 in 1916, which 

 was 12 per cent less than in 1915. The output of lath in the former 

 year was 3,163,029,000, and in the latter year, 2,745,134,000. 



The report gives no figures on cooperage, veneers, tan bark, wood 

 pulp, or wood distillation. 



Southern Log Movement Fair 



The outbound movcnieiit ot' lumber from Memphis and the valley 

 territory is proceeding at a fairly satisfactory rate. There are 

 embargoes against shipments of lumber to points east of a line 

 drawn through Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Parkersburg and Charleston, 

 W. Va., unless this is for the use of the government or some branch 

 of the government; but the Southern Hardwood Traffic Associa- 

 tion announces that permits can be secured for such shipments and 

 outlines the conditions under which these permits are obtainable. 



There is comparatively little restricted territory at the moment, 

 so far as lumber interests here are concerned, and the only handicap 

 in the way of shipping is that found in the lack of cars. Memphis 

 lumbermen arc faring pretty well in this respect and woodworking 

 interests here are securing a rather full supply of cars. There are 

 numerous complaints from points outside of Memphis, particu- 

 larly those having a single line of railway regarding car supply. 

 The railroads seem unable to furnish all the equipment needed for 

 the loading of lumber and to the extent they fail the movement 

 of stock is held back. However, a great deal more lumber is 

 moving now than heretofore and the situation is gradually bright- 

 ening from the standpoint of outbound shipping. 



The movement of logs is assuming pretty full proportions. The 

 Valley Log Loading Company reports that it is able to maintain 

 its April rate. This was approximately 50 per cent over its accom- 

 plishments in March, which gives some idea of what this state- 

 ment means. Indeed, it would seem as if greater progress is being 

 made in getting logs on the rights of way of the railroad moved 

 than in putting logs on these rights of way, and some members 

 of the trade are beginning to fear that, because of the labor short- 

 age, there may develop a quite serious scarcity of raw material for 

 mills at Memphis and elsewhere dependent on public carriers. 



The weather is practically ideal for work in the woods and all 

 possible effort is being made toward getting out logs. There is 

 the most acute shortage of labor ever known, liowever, and what 

 progress will be made remains to be seen. There is likewise a 

 shortage of teams and altogether the log supply outlook is not very 

 roseate at the moment so far as hardwood interests in this territory 

 are concerned. 



Vehicle Controversy Nearing Settlement 



It is understood on reliable authority that prospects are quite 

 bright that as a result of the meeting held in Chicago Saturday, 

 May 18, between representatives of the hardwood lumber industry 

 and the vehicle interests having large contracts with the govern- 

 ment for the manufacture of army escort wagons, the members of 

 these two important industries will soon get together on a much 

 more satisfactory and harmonious basis. The negotiations are 

 declared to be proceeding at a satisfactory rate and Ralph Jurden 

 and John M. Pritchard, president and secretary-manager, respec- 

 tively, of the American Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, 

 who attended the conference at Chicago, will issue a statement to 

 the lumber trade papers in a few days. 



The vehicle manufacturers have contracts for some 250,000 army 

 escort wagons, together with approximately 1,000,000 extra w-heels, 

 and their requirements in the way of thick oak will be quite heavy. 

 It is with reference to this thick oak and to the relations between 

 the lumber manufacturers and the vehicle makers that negotiations 

 are now proceeding. 



