3°D 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



ders hooked abend. This is especially true as 

 regards desk manufacturers. The latter are 

 carrying good-sized stocks of lumber. Dealers 

 state that it is difficult to get orders placed in 

 the West, as higher prices are obtainable there 

 for home trade than buyers here are willing to 

 pay. Because of this, offerings of the. most de- 

 sirable lumber are not large here. Good orders 

 are reported from New York and Pennsylvania, 

 but the demand within a radius of fifty miles of 

 Boston is not active. 



Plain oak has been offered here at lower prices 

 by some mills than for several months, but the 

 best stock in one inch ones and twos still brings 

 good prices. Quartered cak is not in active de- 

 mand. A very fair call is found for brown ash. 

 with offerings limited. White ash is also in 

 small offering. Maple flooring is in moderate 

 call. A leading dealer states that the demand 

 for maple flooring has not been as large as usual 

 this fall. Whitewood is in very good demand 

 and values are firmly held. Dealers report offer- 

 ings of dry stock small. Cypress is firmly held 

 with moderate demand. 



New York. 



Conditions in the local hardwood market con- 

 tinue very satisfactory for this season of the 

 year. Trices are not only firm but bullish on 

 the better grades of well manufactured bard- 

 wood lumber, and many of the lower grades like- 

 wise show much strength. The demand is phe- 

 nomenal, but the true secret of current condi- 

 tions seems to lie in the fact that there are 

 insufficient supplies of the better grades of bard- 

 wood for even such demand as is now present, 

 with the result that all holders of better grades 

 are naturally insisting on prices commensurate 

 with the supply. There is of course a good 

 amount of low grade hardwood offering, but 

 even in that direction the market shows very 

 satisfactory steadiness. The salient feature of 

 trade at this time may truly he said to be the 

 efforts of the wholesale trade in the direction 

 of securing adequate supplies for next spring's 

 trade. Buyers returning from producing sources 

 all bring the same tale of not only sho.t stocks 

 at the present time, but indications of a short 

 supply of good hardwocd lumber for spring de- 

 livery. This is specially true in the poplar, oak 

 anil ash trade, and some of the holders in those 

 woods go so far as to say that they do not 

 know where a sufficient supply of poplar for 

 next spring is coming from. These facts, to- 

 gether with the general indications of an active 

 year next year in all the consuming lines in the 

 local trade presage firm and advancing prices in 

 the general hardwood market for some time to 

 come. 



Locally at the present time there is not a 

 weak item in the wholesale hardwood market. 

 It is true that on certain commodities such as 

 maple and quartered oak -there' are .ample sup- 

 plies for the current demand, but in poplar, 

 plain oak, ash, birch and chestnut the demand 

 is such that offerings are commanding excellent 

 prices, with a bullish tendency all along the 

 line. Cottonwood shows special strength at 

 this time, due to the very unsatisfactory weath- 

 er conditions which have prevailed in the log- 

 ging districts, and all grades are exceedingly 

 short in the face of a big demand and prices 

 have moved up in sympathy. 



The foreign mahogany and cedar marki t con- 

 tinues to show great strength. 



Philadelphia. 



An extensive business in hardwoods is beiu'i 

 done at the present time. Every industry re- 

 quiring hardwoods is prospering, but owing to 

 the detripient of storm and winds and the lack 

 of car service, which have produced a scarcity in 

 these woods, the demand is over and above the 

 supply. The railroads in the South still persist 

 in ignoring the lumbermen's needs, but In the 

 Pennsylvania district there has been a slight 

 relief as regards the defective car service during 

 the last fortnight. 



Reports coming in from the furniture facto- 

 ries of eastern Pennsylvania are still farvorable 

 and they are buying freely. Sash and door mills 

 continue to rush orders for building operations 

 hearing completion. Although the favorable sea- 

 sou for this line of business is on the wane, 

 there has really been no perceptible sign of 

 slacking up. Cigar box makers are in a quan- 

 dary on account of the extreme scarcity of cedar 

 and though working day and night in the mill 

 districts they find it difficult to fill orders. 



Taking the hardwoods altogether the condi- 

 tion of the market is very favorable for all lines. 

 Basswood. chestnut and poplar are easily the 

 leaders just now, but they are scarce and high. 

 Oak keeps strong. Ash remains firm and dry 

 stock in hardwoods is always in demand. Low 

 grades of red cherry are active. Quartered oak 

 has a little better showing of late. Veneers are 

 being snapped up as rapidly as mills tan manu- 

 facture and railroads convey them to the con- 

 suming points. Prices all along the line remain 

 high. 



Baltimoi'e. 



No changes of note have taken place in the 

 hardwood trade of this section. The demand 

 continues very active, but millmen experience 

 much- difficulty in supplying it, for the reason 

 that the car shortage is as acute as ever. The 

 price asked makes no difference. Consumers are 

 willing to pay any reasonable figure. I'nder the 

 circumstances it is to be expected that the quota- 

 tions should be high, though this does not at 

 as a check upon the Inquiry. Oak is in the lead 

 as to demand, with buyers especially eager i" 

 get culls, which have been moving very freely 

 for some time. Ash is perhaps next in point i f 

 spirit, with prices very firm and the tendency 

 upward. In fact, the prediction is freely made 

 that the level of values will be higher in 1907 

 than in lOOfi. Nothing like it has been seen 

 The export business, though quiet, is satisfactory 

 both as to the demand and with respect to the 

 freight rates, which, for some of the ports, tend 

 to give especial encouragement to the exporters. 



Pittsburg. 



Considering the season of the year, the hard- 

 wood market is manifesting an activity that is 

 surprising. Not only is the trade in hnrdw. oi 

 lumber much the most encouraging feature of 

 the lumber situation in Greater Pittsburg at the 

 opening of winter, but the unlooked-for activity 

 in several lines is such as to keep wholesalers 

 hustling to cover their orders. Building, as was 

 expected, has fallen off badly and very little new- 

 work is starting. Enough contracts were taken 

 early in the year, however, for fine hardwood t > 

 be used in interior finish in the big skyscrapers 

 and public buildings to keep many fi:nn busy 

 and at profitable prices, too. 



In two respects the present demand is a'most 

 phenomenal. The coal and coke companies are 

 buying more heavily than for years at this se.i- 

 son. Pit posts, ties, rails and coke slats are in 

 the best of demand at good prices. Timbers and 

 ties for use in coal mines are equally strong in 

 demand, as are bridge timbers and trestle stuff. 

 Both the railroads and the street railway com- 

 panies are placing large orders for ties and p les 

 for early spring delivery and if one-half the 

 trolley lines under contemplation are bui t next 

 spring every tie man in Pittsburg will have all 

 he can do. 



From the manufacturers, especially those in 

 the East and the Middle West, there Is coming 

 an inquiry for good hardwood lumber that con- 

 stitutes the second feature of the trade at pres- 

 ent. The handle and spoke factories as well a< 

 the furniture plants are crowded to their doo.s 

 with orders and see already that their stock of 

 lumber is too small for the year's needs. The 

 same is true of the implement works and the 

 casket manufactories, which are in the market 

 for all the hardwood they can get providing it 

 is dry. • 



Very firm prices prevail throughout the hard 

 wood lists. Oak and chestnut have advanced 

 slightly in price. Mill cull poplar is command- 

 ing a little premium. Ash has sold $1 per thou- 

 sand higher than one month ago. Maple is firm 

 at the prevailing quotations, with light stocks 

 in sight. Southern hardwoods are going at 

 slightly better prices than last year at this time 

 and dealers believe the present big demand fore- 

 shadows still higher quotations. 



Buffalo. 



The hardwood market is active, with the best 

 possible prospects for the winter trade. The 

 great difficulty is lack of cars and it is possible 

 that there will be trouble in that line all win- 

 ter. Buffalo is not suffering for out-bound cars 

 as much as for those to bring in lumber from 

 points in the South, where the famine has been 

 the worst on record. Still, the dealers have 

 somehow managed to get a fair amount of stock 

 in and they will begin winter with a fairly good 

 assortment of lumber. 



Just now birch is in active call to take the 

 place of the more expensive woods in short sup- 

 ply. The shortage of poplar is still apparent 

 and the trade is using basswood as a substitute 

 in many cases. 



Oak is doing well and there is not the com- 

 plaint of its running short that there was. 

 Plain and Quartered seem to work in together 

 better than lor some months. Ash is still very 

 short, though some of the dealers in the lake 

 trade have brought in good amounts of it, black 

 and brown leading. White ash is scarce, and 

 maple and Washington fir are being used by the 

 trade in its place. 



Saginaw Valley. 

 The trade in hardwood is fairly satisfactory 

 with light slocks of dry lumber in dealers' bands 

 and a much firmer range of prices than obtained 

 earlier in the season. Business is harrassed by 

 the scarcity of cars. Not a great deal of ash is 

 produced here this year and It has commanded 

 a ready sale. Maple is doing better. During 

 the early months either too much maple was 

 produced or there was not enough of it wanted. 

 and it was the weakest commodity in the hard- 

 wood list. But later in the season it brightened 

 up and is now in greater favor. Beech has done 

 well and is quoted about $1 a thousand better 

 than during the early months. There is also 

 a better movement in birch, which was neglected 

 early in the year. There is a good call for 

 basswood and prices have materially improved, 

 only a limited amount of oak comes into this 

 market and it is firmly held. 



Bristol, Va. -Term. 



Business has been holding up unusually well 

 in this city and section, and while little change 

 is noted, it is evident that there is an upward 

 tendency in prices. Oak and poplar continue 

 to lead, both in demand and supply, and it is 

 more a question of where to get the lumber than 

 where to sell it. The quantity of ash and gum 

 manufactured by local mills has been augmented 

 to meet an increased call. 



The car situation is still the chief topic of 

 conversation and it has done much toward handi- 

 capping shippers within the past few weeks. 

 Conditions have grown worse if there has been 

 any change at all, since the settlement of the 

 machinists' strike on the Southern, and there is 

 little ground to hope for early relief of the situa 

 tion. 



Cincinnati. 

 No imp'ortant changes have been perceptible in 

 the local situation during the early part of De- 

 cember, a steady demand prevailing. The recent 

 high tide has enabled all lumber dealers to pile 

 up enough logs in their yards to keep the 

 mills busy for some time to come, and at present 

 there is no evidence of a change of prices. All 

 grades of hardwood continue in good demand, 

 and if cars were obtainable much lumber would 

 be moved. 



