HARDWOOD RECORD 



49 



Philadelphia. 

 There has been general activity in the hard- 

 wood business for the last fortnight. All wood- 

 working concerns are anxious to obtain dry 

 stink. Prices are hrni and stocks are light. 

 Railroad service is invariably deficient and there 

 is nothing to indicate a change. Poplar con- 

 tinues in front rank, and ash and chestnut are 

 guoted among the leaders. A considerable call 

 [or basswood is noted; cherry is doing well, 

 and all grades of oak apparently sustain t lie 

 activity which lias lately characterized them. 

 Flooring manufacturers seem to have no diffi- 

 culty in disposing of their product, maple espe- 

 cially being in firm demand. Both in flooring 

 and interior finish there has been a noticeable 

 call for the high grades of all kinds of hard- 

 woods, in this movement poplar and quar- 

 tered oak have shared to a considerable degree. 

 Furniture ana wood Implement factories still 

 continue to take large quantities of the woods 

 sold in this market. The erection of numerous 

 large buildings requiring the best grades of 

 interior finish is a constant stimulus to sales of 

 that commodity, and permits for buildings for 

 spring erection are a sufficient guarantee for 

 another big year in this line. Veneer and cigar 

 box manufacturers are rushed to the limit, and 

 trolley and railroad building show no let up. 

 It is noticeable that numerous firms, which 

 formerly were exclusive handlers of softwoods, 

 are now making extensive preparations to handle 

 hardwoods. 



Baltimore. 

 There has been, no Improvement in the lumber 

 situation the past two weeks. Bad weather and 

 floods have greatly interfered with sawmill oper- 

 ations, while car shortage and a bad condition 

 of the roads have prevented distribution, with 

 the result that stocks at points of consumption 

 are decidedly low and the users of hardwoods 

 are unable to get supplies in desired quantities. 

 High quotations are current and in not a few 

 instances, even when an intending buyer agrees 

 to pay what the seller asks, he is not sure of 

 having his wants filled, at least not without 

 more or less protracted delay, so that the figures 

 given do not always bear an accurate relation 

 to the trade. Slocks at the mills are reported 

 to be low, various conditions having combined to 

 check production. The manufacturers are mak- 

 ing every possible effort to get out lumber, but 

 they meet numerous obstacles and there is not 

 likely to be an adequate offering of supplies for 

 -Mine time to come. Meanwhile the inquiry re- 

 mains active, all the dealers here being unani- 

 mous in the expression of the belief that the 

 trade will remain good and that there will be 

 an opportunity to dispose of stocks in any quan- 

 tity which can be turned out. The recent floods, 

 which are just about subsiding, have compli- 

 cated matters, large numbers of logs having 

 been washed away and many mills put out of 

 commission for the ' time being, though these 

 plants are generally located on elevated ground 

 and did not suffer by reason of the high water. 

 The roads are in such a condition that hauling 

 is impossible and weeks are likely to elapse. be- 

 fore a marked improvement can be expected. 

 As Jar as can be learned the trade requirements 

 are certain to continue large, so that business 

 will be brisk even after the mills are once more 

 in a position to turn out a maximum of stocks. 

 There is such a shortage of output at the pres- 

 ent time that much lumber will be needed to fill 

 the channels of trade to a normal extent. Fop- 

 lar continues in fine shape, with values rather 

 higher than otherwise, and the market decidedly 

 receptive. Buyers are out again scouring the 

 mill sections, and the lumber is snapped up 

 wherever it can be found. The exporters state 

 that business with them in quiet, and they do 

 not expect a marked increase in activity until 

 some of the present drawbacks are overcome. 

 The range of values Is fair, and under ordinary 

 circumstances the shipments might be expected 

 to attain a relatively large volume. 



Pittsburg. 



If the year 1907 does not prove to be the 

 banner twelve months' period in the history of 

 hardwoods in Greater Pittsburg, the judgment 

 of every wholesaler in this city is at fault. The 

 demand for hardwood lumber of all kinds is 



going to I Mutinous. On every hand firms are 



trying to replenish their stocks of lumber or to 

 buy more timber near their present operations, 

 or where it can be easily reached by railroad. 



I he shortage in stocks is apparent in nearly 

 every line of hardwoods, due to the fearfully 

 I. ail roads that have prevailed for weeks in the 

 South and West, Wholesalers say that sound 

 wormy chestnut and elm are very hard to obtain 

 and that all kinds of chestnut, or in fact any 

 hardwoods that go into the making of boxes, 

 are practically out of market. Birch and cherry 

 are in excellent demand and are bringing a fancy 

 price in many instances. King of all hardwoods 

 in the market is oak. It matters not what kind, 

 just so it is oak, and every man in the city who 

 pretends to handle oak is worrying day and 

 night how and where to supply his customers. 

 In the face of this demand it is not strange 

 that prices are advancing. 



Building lags fearfully this month. This ap- 

 plies only to the city. In all the outlying towns 

 there is a big movement in house building. Add 

 to this the enormous activity that is manifest 

 in the building of railroads and traction lines 

 and the large amount of work that is being done 

 on the local rivers and It makes a mighty satis- 

 factory volume of inquiry for hardwoods. Then. 

 too, the industrial plants within a radius of 100 

 miles of Greater Pittsburg are enlarging their 

 capacity and other concerns are building new 

 plants — conditions that call for much hardwood 

 lumber. The manufacturers of furniture and 

 vehicles and implements were never so busy and 

 me calling upon the Pittsburg wholesalers to 

 furnish a lot of the hardwood lumber they use. 



Buffalo. 



There is all of the former activity in the 

 hardwood lumber trade, so that there is fear 

 that it will not last till I lie new cut is in, 

 oak and maple especially being low for the time 

 of year. Oak does not come in as it should and 

 it promises to be slow all year, on account of 

 the bad logging weather south, so that prices 

 are very strong here and the outlook not as 

 pleasing as it might be. 



There is all possible effort to get all sorts of 

 hardwood lumber in from the South. About 

 the scarcest lumber that used to be plenty is 

 poplar, so that the trade has about given up 

 the receipt of a good supply of logs at southern 

 mills. There is a little better supply of cars 

 from the South now, but it is not easy to keep 

 lumber moving at a good rate, for the roads 

 are slower than ever before after the cars are 

 loaded and they do not promise to do much bet- 

 ter right away. 



There has been a big movement of birch both 

 in and out of Buffalo yards of late, and if the 

 supply is a trifle low now there is said to be 

 enough to come in to make up for it. Birch 

 has been a great help to the trade in general, 

 as it takes the place of so many other woods 

 thai have run short. 



Buffalo is doing very well still in the building 

 line and promises to use rather more hardwood 

 lumber than formerly. Hardwood dealers say 

 that the move of the retail dealers to stop re- 

 tailing by the wholesalers does not hit them to 

 any extent, as they sell almost exclusively in 

 car lots to eastern customers. This city has 

 always been so hard to classify into wholesale 

 and retail interests that it has been pretty well 

 left alone in that respect, everybody selling 

 about as he pleased. 



in the woods. There isn't a large stock of dry 

 lumber available. Two or three are carrying a 

 good deal, but both manufacturers and dealers 

 as a rule are carrying small stocks. The old 

 trouble of shortage of cars affects some opera- 

 tors. Basswood, No. 2 common, is quoted at 

 $25 to $28, and mill culls are worth $18. Elm 

 is quite firm at $22 to $29, and mill culls are 

 quoted at $13 and $14. Log run beech is held 

 at $13 and No. 2 birch is $20 and $25. Maple 

 firsts and seconds are firm at $24 ; No. 1 com- 

 mon. $17 and $18; No. 2, $11 or $12. Ash Is 

 si ion;; at $30 and red oak $35. 



Indianapolis. 



The hardwood market is especially active Just 

 now, the furniture factories of this and adjoin- 

 ing cities taking all that can be supplied as 

 quickly as they can get it. There is a general 

 shortage of hardwoods, which the local men are 

 at a loss to understand. The greatest shortage 

 is iu oak, walnut and heavy ash, although there 

 is not enough of any of the other hardwoods. 

 With the opening of spring the market is ex- 

 pected to become still more active, with a 

 slight raise in prices. At present, so far as 

 prices are concerned, the market is about sta- 

 tionary. There is, of course, the usual car short- 

 age, although this does not seem as bad as it 

 has been in past months. The reason for this is 

 that lumbermen are loading the same cars upon 

 which they receive consignments, and thus keep 

 the cars in service all of the time. What car 

 shortage there is is said to be due to the fact 

 that the railroad yards iu Indianapolis are 

 filled with broken down and disabled cars, while 

 the railroad repair shops are also filled to their 

 full capacity. 



Because of the recent high waters, rather seri- 

 ous conditions prevail at Evansville, according 

 to Young &' Cutsiuger of that city. The market 

 for all kinds of hardwood lumber is good, with 

 quartered white oak, poplar and ash in the lead. 

 Foreign buyers are clamoring for oak strips. 

 although they do not seem to want to pay the 

 prices prevailing. Prices on all kinds of lumber 

 arc still soaring and it is said that there is no 

 telling where they will stop. It is believed. 

 however, that when they reach the highest point 

 there will be a reaction. Evansville mills are 

 about out of logs and will probably have to 

 close down soon unless dry weather intervenes 

 to let them get logs to run their mills. 



Saginaw Valley. 

 The market continues strong and featureless. 

 For the- present trade is fully satisfactory and 

 some large lots have been sold, which are still 



Asheville. 



Prices of hardwood in western North Carolina 

 remain firm and the dealers are enjoying a good 

 sen son. The demand for poplar is greater than 

 for months past and the price of this wood has 

 increased since the close of the past year. The 

 price of chestnut and oak remains practically 

 unchanged. The same price prevails that has 

 "II lined for the past ninety days. The good 

 weather in this section during January has re- 

 sulted in the getting out of much wood. The 

 demand, however, is still greater than the sup- 

 ply, and the hardwood men say that there is 

 only a limited supply of choice wood to be had. 

 The serious car shortage is practically at an 

 end. While in instances the lumbermen are 

 unable to secure an adequate supply of "empties" 

 ye1 as a whole the supply is almost equal to the 

 demand. 



Bristol. 



The past fortnight has seen little or no change 

 in lumber trade conditions in this section. An 

 appreciable improvement is noted in the car 

 conditions within the past few weeks, in fact 

 since the advent of the new year. This increase 

 in supply of this class of railroad equipment is, 

 however, regarded as more or less temporary 

 and due to local conditions. The improvement 

 is more apparent on the Virginia & Southwestern 

 than any other of the roads. There has been 

 little or no improvement in the conditions on 

 the Southern. The improvement which, as above 



