32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



past fortnight very heavy. The demand for 

 chestnut and poplar is good and prices realized 

 are equal to the highest that ever has been 

 reached by this class of stock. There is a 

 heavy demand for the lower grades of lumber 

 suitable for box making. Oak, the principal 

 lumber manufactured in southwest Virginia, east 

 Tennessee and western North Carolina, is meet- 

 ing with ready sale at advantageous figures, and 

 in fact many of the heaviest shippers of stock 

 report that they have on hand orders sufficient 

 to keep them busy for several months. 



No marked improvement is noted in the car 

 situation and there is little ground to hope for 

 relief in the near future. 



Cincinnati. 



While a satisfactory volume of business has 

 been transacted in the Cincinnati hardwood 

 marker during the past two weeks, there is 

 no doubt that a much larger business would 

 have resulted but for two conditions — shortage 

 of suitable lots of dry storks and inability to 

 get freight cars for shipping. Neither difficulty 

 is expected to be relieved in less than a month, 

 and some dealers declare that the troubles will 

 increase as time wears on. 



Orders are coming in rapidly, but are not be- 

 ing filled on time. In some cases dealers have 

 orders enough to carry them for some time, 

 even if no new business develops. 



Prices are holding their own. Plain oak is 

 leading the market, and is short in supply, with 

 Hi. consequence that fancy prices obtain. Quar- 

 tered red and white oak find a good outlet and 

 have nicely sustained their position. Chestnut 

 and ash have been very Arm. Cottonwood, es- 

 pecially in the lower grades, lias been in spirited 

 request, and values have remained stiff. Ited 

 gum shows no deviation from its old strong 

 position. Poplar is moving at former quota- 

 tions. 



Nashville. 



No important changes are noted in the local 

 market during the past fortnight. The ap- 

 proach of cold weather has to a certain extent 

 diminished the demand for building material, as 

 the building rush is practically over until next 

 spring.. Local dealers are not' letting this feat- 

 ure stop them in -securing all the timber they 

 can get, however, as the log supply this winter 

 is going to be about one-third the usual output. 

 Ordinarily a vast amount of timber comes dowu 

 the Cumberland river, much of it out of Obed 

 river at Colina, out of Roaring river at Gaines- 

 horo and Caney Fork at Carthage. Dealers are 

 looking to every available source now, however, 

 to the log wagon, the railroad, and the river 

 alike — the timber is what they want, and they 

 don't care how it comes just so it gets here. 



All grades and thicknesses of poplar are in 

 the best of demand, and there is not enough of 

 it to supply the demand. . The decrease in 

 building owing to the approach of wet weather 

 has caused a slight let-up in the chestnut situ- 

 ation, but the usual big demand is expected to 

 lie on again next spring. Quartered red oak is 

 moving fairly well. No surplus plain oak, either 

 white or red, is noticed and each is moving 

 briskly. Dry ash as usual is very difficult to 

 get. 



Memphis. 

 Two prominent manufacturers of hardwood 

 lumber, in response to an inquiry by a repre- 

 sentative of the Hardwood Record regarding 

 conditions obtaining in the hardwood business, 

 replied that the situation is very strong. Both 

 stated that the recent unfavorable weather 

 lias hindered lumber manufacture very de- 

 cidedly, and one of them went so far as to as- 

 sert that he believed 20,000,000 feet of timber 

 had been lost, so far as production this year 

 is to be considered. There is a pronounced 

 carcity of dry lumber, with the demand ex- 

 ceptionally good, and dry stock is eagerly 



snapped up at prices that would not have 

 seemed possible sixty days ago. There is a 

 moderate movement of lumber into foreign 

 channels. Stocks here are very badly broken 

 and the trade has given up all hope of normal 

 holdings until next year and not until late in 

 the season then if the weather is not excep- 

 tionally favorable during the winter and early 

 spring months. 



Plain oak is firm in both red and white and 

 everything offered is taken promptly at prices 

 considerably above those current a few weeks 

 ago. The demand runs to all grades, while 

 the offerings in stock thicker than one inch 

 are very light indeed. White quarter-sawed 

 oak is in good demand while prices are show- 

 ing some improvement. In quartered red. 

 however, there is only a moderate amount of 

 business, there being very little if any im- 

 provement reported in stock of this character. 

 Ash and cypress are both readily taken at full 

 prices, with only a moderate amount of stock 

 available in all grades. Cottonwood continues 

 to gain in strength. The demand for this 

 wood is exceptionally heavy, while offerings 

 are considered not more than 60 per cent of 

 normal for this time of the year, with the 

 prospective shortage even more pronounced 

 than -that now prevailing. The lower grades 

 are taken just as fast as they are placed on 

 salo at higher prices than a month ago, while 

 the higher grades are in splendid request at 

 slightly higher figures. There are very few 

 box boards offering and prices on these are 

 very high. Gum is in good demand for every- 

 thing outside of clear saps, and even these 

 show improvement over a month ago. The 

 demand for the lower grades of gum, as is the 

 case with Cottonwood, is rather better than 

 that for the higher, but even the latter arc 

 finding ready sale at very satisfactory fig- 

 ures. Poplar is without special change, there 

 being very little for sale here and no difficulty 

 being experienced in disposing of what is 

 offered. 



New Orleans. 

 Little change has been evident in the hard- 

 wood market during the last two weeks. Ex- 

 ports continue fair, the interior demand is 

 still good and" the same might also be said of 

 prices. The mills are rapidly increasing their 

 stocks, which are still being drawn on heavily 

 by the interior demand. » 



Louisville. 

 Better weather is greatly facilitating logging 

 iu the woods and local millmen are turning their 

 attention to that end of the business. There 

 is an abundance of Inquiries for oak of all 

 kinds, but in some lines there is so much 

 difference of opinion on prices, perhaps due 

 largely to confusion of grading practices, that 

 there is not the volume of business actually 

 being done that these inquiries would indicate. 

 Poplar brings its price right along and those 

 that have dry stock do not have to haggle 

 much over this point. There probably never 

 was such a call for car stock as at present. It 

 comes not only in good bunches and insistent 

 manner from the domestic trade, but also from 

 foreign sources. Quartered oak is just holding 

 its own well. The furniture trade does not 

 seem to be quite as anxious for quartered stock 

 right now as for some other lines of hardwood. 

 It is felt, however, that general conditions are 

 good and that an unusual volume of quartered 

 stock will be needed during the winter and 

 spring. The demand for cooperage stock is ex- 

 ceptionally brisk and the buyers are doing all 

 the sweating, for the manufacturers feel pretty 

 sure that there will be more needed than they 

 can turn out under existing conditions. In 

 short, tilings look favorable to the hardwood 

 manufacturer except the timber supply, the 

 weather man. the working man and a few other 

 handicaps, to which they are becoming more 

 or less accustomed. 



Minneapolis. 



There is decided strength in the market with 

 reference to everything but birch, and there are 

 signs of renewed vigor in the birch market. 

 The supply is still plentiful, the demand is 

 active and dealers are having no trouble in 

 finding customers. They are selling the low- 

 grade stock readily for grain doors, and the 

 factory trade is coming in line for upper grades. 

 Building operations in the Twin Cities are now 

 being brought tow r ard conclusion and the in- 

 terior finish is called for. All the sash and 

 door factories are rushed in the effort to supply 

 this trade, and they are consuming more hard- 

 wood in proportion to the total output than 

 at any previous time this year. They are also 

 using a good deal of basswood first and sec- 

 onds, and the low-grade basswood has been al- 

 most cleaned out to supply the winter needs 

 of the box factories. 



Oak is in good demand, and nearly every- 

 thing except some standing contracts is being 

 supplied from southern mills. They are report- 

 ing considerable car trouble, and shipments are 

 giving anxiety to consignees who are anxious 

 for the stock. Prices are stiff on oak all along 

 the line, especially on plain-sawed. Rock elm 

 is almost out of the market, but the big con- 

 sumers have bought or contracted to fill their 

 needs, and there is not much call for it. In 

 tact, one car offered by a local house has gone 

 begging several days. Maple is moving In large 

 quantities, especially flooring. The country trade 

 is dull. 



Liverpool. 



Trade here is not so good as it should be. 

 High prices have frightened buyers away, the 

 majority only buying from hand to mouth. Prices 

 in many cases will have to come down. Ash 

 planks are no doubt too high in price. In many 

 cases our English woods are serious competitors 

 of American hardwoods. 



The rapid rise in American ash has been the 

 best thing possible for English timber mer- 

 chants, as they can buy English ash of all 

 thicknesses at 3s 3d per cubic foot, delivered 

 into their workshops, and it is unlikely that 

 consumers are going to pay the present high 

 prices for what is undoubtedly an inferior wood. 

 The highest prices that merchants here can 

 afford to pay are : 1-inch, 2s 6d per cubic foot ; 

 I 1 ,, inch and 2-inch, 2s 9d per cubic foot; 3- 

 inch, 3s per cubic foot, ex quay Liverpool. 



To ask anything higher would mean to let 

 In the English timber merchants and allow them 

 to sell all their stock. Similar remarks apply 

 also to oak and hickory. 



Good second growth ash and hickory of large 

 size will always bring its price, but this is 

 mostly sold in the log. There is rumor here 

 of some very high prices being offered for gen- 

 uine second growth ash logs for next season's 

 import, and there was some talk of 60s Scribner- 

 Doyle. 



■ Careful watching of the large quantities of 

 mahogany sold at the last sales was made and 

 very few had the lot numbers erased. 



Lower prices may confidently be expected at 

 the end of the year. Quartered oak boards are 

 still a drug on the market, and good advice to 

 shippers would be to ship as few as possible 

 here. Birch is much stronger and is finding a 

 ready sale at good prices. 



London. 



Trade in London at the moment is somewhat 

 dull. The demand has shown depreciation the 

 past few weeks, and sales lag. American woods, 

 however, enjoy a fair call. Oak is in good re- 

 quest, with prices on all grades tending up- 

 ward. Quartered oak is still quiet, although 

 there has been a slight improvement noted dur- 

 ing the past few days. Oak planks are a drug 

 on the market. Black walnut continues to be in 

 good request, especially in medium and cull 

 grades and inch boards. Mahogany is in fair 

 demand if of good specifications. Prices are in 

 most eases well maintained. 



