32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



kicking over lack of cars, but take their modi 

 cine. They assert that it isn't alone the fault 

 of the roads, which are anxious to handle all 

 the business they can reach and are doing the 

 liest they can, but ii Is the overwhelming pros 

 perity that has stimulated business of all kinds 

 and loaded the country with more traffic than 

 ever before in its history. Slocks of maple, No 

 2 common and better, are Quoted here at $25 

 and $28; for log ruu with mill culls out the 



quotations here arc: Elm. $25; I b, $15; 



maple, .SIT and $18; ash. $30; red oak, $35, 

 and birch. $22; basswood mill culls are quoted 

 at $18. 



Cincinnati. 



Conditions in the local hardwood market con- 

 tinue satisfactory. Prices are firm on the bet 

 ter grades of hardwoods, and many of the lower 

 grades show much strength. The car shortage 

 is still the chief topic of conversation. Condi- 

 tions have if anything grown worse. 



Basswood, chestnut and poplar are scarce; 



high prices rube Cottonw I shows special 



strength and as g 1 grades arc exceedingly 



short prices have increased. Mahogany is fair 

 ly active. Quartered oak lias experienced a 

 good call. Maple, cypress and birch are all in 

 good request and prices arc firm. An unusual 

 amount of business was transacted during the 

 holidays. This is regarded as the dull season 

 of the year, but 1906 proved otherwise. Reports 

 coming from the furniture manufacturers are 

 still favorable, and they arc pur, basing lumber 

 freely. Box manufacturers have experienced a 

 very prosperous year, and are still busy. 



Chattanooga. 



The demand for hardwoods in Chattai a 



and. vicinity is unusually active, with stocks 

 b.w.r than they have been in fifteen years 

 There are two important reasons for this. There 

 has been so much rain throughout producing 

 sections that operations have I n either en- 

 tirely suspended or at least greatly hampered 

 Then, too. the car shortage lias seriously handi 



capped lumbermen, Cars cannot I btained to 



ship either the finished or unfinished product, 

 As a natural result of this many of the mills 



in the South have 1 n shut down. Lumber is 



so scarce in this territory that inquiries arc 



being r ived here from such Important centers 



as Memphis and Nashville, one large manufac 

 turer stating that he could undoubtedly sell a 

 million feet of lumber in Memphis providing 

 he bad it to sell. 



All hardwoods are in good demand and prices 

 are firm with an upward tendency. Chestnut 

 and basswood are particularly strong items, and 

 large orders- are being filled for the coffin and 

 casket* manufacturers of southern cities. 



Nashville. 



Nashville lumbermen start the year's busi- 

 ness with the best of prospects. Prices on all 



hardw Is were firm during the year and the 



volume of business transacted was unpre- 

 cedented. There is little prospect of any a. 'cu- 

 mulation of stock, (biiing the lumber will be 

 tln> main proposition, the rest is easy, with the 

 exception of a sufficient supply of cars. 



There has I n an advance in the price of 



poplar of every grade. The local market is 

 now practically bate of dry stock. The call 

 for low grade poplar lias been unusually heavy. 

 This is accounted for by the fact that box 

 manufacturers have been unusually busy, as 

 well as other industries using short length 

 lumber. firsts and seconds in poplar ock 

 are almost out of the local market. 



Bj reason of the great activity among vehicle 



and implement manufacturers ash has I n in 



very heavy demand. Thick ash of clear grade 

 will bring most anything the seller chooses to 

 ask for it. It is simply a question of getting 

 the stock. The rapid increase in the use of 



chestnut for interior finishing purposes has put 

 the price on thai wood very high and made 

 the demand for it unusually heavy. Quartered 

 white oak is firmer and quartered red has not 

 shown so marked an advance. 



Memphis. 



There is an excellent demand for hardw I 



lumber and the market is exceptionally strong. 

 The scarcity of shipping dry lumber is more 

 pronounced than it has ever been, perhaps, In 

 the history of the trad'' ai ibis point. More- 

 over, production is being curtailed by unfavor- 

 able weather to such an extent that the scar- 

 city now prevailing promises to be eclipsed in 

 the near future. As a result of this condition. 

 prices are very firmly held and the tendency 

 is toward a higher level. That buyers realize 

 conditions fully is shown by the fact that Here 

 are many inquiries for lists of lumber for sale 

 in the south, together with prices and term. 

 It has been a long while since large consumers' 

 asked for such lists and ibis serves to illus 

 trate bow hard buyers arc striving to local'' 

 what stock is available. There is usually a lull 

 after the holidays and during the greater por- 

 tion of January, but there is more .demand tins 

 season (ban manufacturers and wholesalers are 

 able to take care of promptly. 



Everything in the hardwood list sells without 



difficult*. Ihen is no ..rent ai int I activity 



in quarter sawed vni oak. but there is very 

 little of Ibis to be bad Ash is painfully scarce. 

 high and bard to buy and the same is true of 

 Cottonwood and gum, which have become the 

 most active features.. Plain oak is in excellent 

 call in all grades, while there is a pretty liberal 

 movement of quarter-sawed whit k. particu- 

 larly in the higher grades. The movement of 

 both poplar and cypress is restricted because 

 of i he I imited quant i i y of both available in 

 this market." Prices are firm and all offerings 

 an readily absorbed. 



Toledo. 

 Tbe hardwood situation m Toledo is excep 

 tionally strong. Prices show a tendency to ad 

 vance on almost everj line of hardwoods, stocks 

 arc low and good lumber of any kind is hard to 

 get. Tin Outlook for an active spring trade is 

 excellent, and concerns having desirable stocks 

 on hand are holding on to them in anticipation 

 of higher prii es 



Louisville. 



Right now mill men and wholesalers in Ibis 

 territory are not anxious to accept many orders. 

 They rather expect bad weather to interfere 

 with operations during the next two months, 

 and. because of past experience, none of them 

 arc anxious to attempt more than they can ban- 

 die. Everybody is happy over the outlook in 

 the hardwood lumber market. The trade is kept 

 exceedingly busy planning and executing ways 

 and means to get out stock, it is a little diffi- 

 cult to figure out just what is in most demand, 

 as the factory trade is urgently seeking all 

 kinds, and tbe building trade wants poplar sid- 

 ing or something just as - I. so badly that 



the past year has seen quite a lot of redwood 

 brought into this territory. After becoming 

 acquainted with the good qualities of poplar sid 

 ing the builders here don't take kindly to yellow 

 pine, si, when poplar gets scarce and limb they 

 turn to gum and to California redwood. The 

 future, "i course, depends on the price and sup 

 ply of poplar and bow redwood stands up in 

 comparison through the test of time. The de 

 mand for oak is strenuous in afl lines, plain 

 sawed lumber, small dimension sio.-k, vehicle 

 slock, car slock. ii,s and everything is wanted, 



and tbe want seems to pxc I tbe supply. The 



demand for low grade poplar, Cottonwood and 

 gum continues unabated, There is everything 

 to stimulate extra efforts on the part of manu- 

 facturers by promise of good returns. 



Minneapolis. 

 While there is a temporary quiet in the mar- 

 ket, all dealers have a good volume of business 



in sight. 1 feel optimistic over conditions. 



The factory trade is in the market for good 



s k in almost ahj line, and dealers feel so 



much confidence in the future that they are 

 employing these days of comparative leisure in 

 hustling up contracts for tic cut of mills next 

 season Tbe mills have become thoroughly in- 

 fected with the price fever, and are holding 

 their output at prices thai would have made a 

 dealer mo]' a year or so ago, but which are not 

 far oni of tbe way now. Tbe logging opera- 

 tions in Wisconsin are reported as having more 

 favorable conditions than those in Minnesota. 

 There is not so uittcli deep s 1 1 o w as in Minne- 



*- ami tlie camps that arc running expect to 



get in a e i season's work, bul there is little 



chah if surplus production. In dry stock 



the only thing that can lie said to be at all out 

 of line now is inch common birch. It is still 

 weak op account of plentiful slocks on baud, 

 but there is a good demand that will take care 

 of it all right, since those who cannot get what 

 they want will eventually have to come around 

 and lake what they can get, Birch culls are 

 cleaned up, and there is very little first and 



see, aid: iii thick s k there is not much in 



Sight, I'.assw 1 i- searee now and up in pie 



Culls are advance,| $2 a thousand, and it is a 



bard mailer lo find any. Other northern w Is 



arc scarce, and in Hie South' a great deal of 

 trouble is reported in getting ears to make de 

 liveries. Some yard trade is developing situ- 

 New "i ear's, hut il is small yet. 



Liverpool. 



AI the lasi mahogany sabs some 4.000 logs 

 were sold, and as was expected prices were 

 somewhal lower in fact, lower prices will 

 doubtless rule for some months. 



A circular has I n issued by one of tbe lead 



ing timber brokers here dealing in American 



hardw Is offering ash plank at the following 



prie s: 1 14-inch, 9] cents per cubic foot: 2 and 

 a, 95 cents per cubic foot ex-quay Liverpool. 

 II is generally known that it is of no use lo 

 offer a fraction less anil also that no cheaper 

 planks are lo he bought. 



lin brings up a mailer which is looked upon 

 a- serious here and about which many angry 

 things are being said. It tan lie proved that 

 this same firm of brokers sold several carloads 

 on behalf of an American shipper about ten 

 months ago. 1 '-, inch at 69 cents and 3-inch at 

 76 cents. Buyers here declare thai planks tire 

 not being delivered because they arc now bring- 

 ing higher prices Surely this is a mailer that 

 tlie lumber associations should take up tor se- 

 rious consideration, as methods of this kind 

 reflect discreditably on the entire trade Tbe 

 broker is no doubt equally lo blame. Shippers 

 should be warned no] to be led into shipping a 

 single plank on consignment lo this market, as 

 they are doubtless being advised lo do. 



All hardwoods are scarce. Oak has risen in 

 prie. Second growth ash logs are in demand, 

 but shippers should obtain orders and hold to 

 pi'iies firmly. Hickory is not so linn, and 

 prices have eased oil' slightly. Quite a rise is 

 reported in poplar prices. The market is prac- 

 tically bare of ibis w 1. and sellers have things 



their own way. 



RORLAR 



Rough and Dressed 



SOUTHERN HARDWOODS 

 M. A. HAYWARD 



1021 Saving and Trust Bldg.. Columbus, O 



