AaMwolRooJM 



Published In the Interest of Hardwood Lumber. American Hardwood Forests, Wood Veneer Industry, Hardwood Flooring, 

 Hardwood Interior Finish, Wood Chemicals, Saw Mill and Woodworking Machinery. 



Vol. XXIII. 



CHICAGO. FEBRUARY 25. 1907. 



No. 9. 



Published on the 10th and 25th of each month fey 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



Henry H. Gibson, President 



Frank W. Tuttle, Sec-Treas. 



OFFICES 

 Sixin Floor Ellsworth Bldg., 355 Dearborn St Chicago, III., U.S.A. 



Telephones: Harrison 4960 Automatic 5659 



TERMS OF ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION 



In the United States, Canada, Philippine Islands and Mexico . . $2.00 



In all other countries in Universal Postal Union ..... 3.00 

 Subscriptions are payable in advance, and in default of written orders to the 

 Contrary are continued at our option. 



The entire contents of this publication are covered by the general copy- 

 right, and articles must not be reprinted without special permission. 

 Entered at Chicago Postoffice as Second Class Matter. 



^Advertising copy must be received five days in advance of 

 Publication date. Advertising rates on application. 



ASSOCIATION MEETINGS. 



National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association. 



This association will hold its next annual convention on 

 Wednesday and Thursday, March 6 and 7, 1907, at the New 

 Wiliard Hotel, Washington, D. C. 



National Hardwood Lumber Association. 



The tenth annual convention of this association will be 

 held on Thursday and Friday, May 23 and 24, 1907, at 

 Atlantic City, N. J. 



General Market Conditions. 



On another page of the Hardwood Record will be found a com- 

 prehensive review of the hardwood stocks on hand in the state of 

 Michigan on Jan. 1 of this year, together with a record of unfilled 

 orders at that time. These figures are based on the reports of manu- 

 facturers controlling about eighty-five per cent of the total hard- 



v. I output of tin- ^tate, and reflect the prospective shortage of 



hardwoods in that state for the coming year. Further statistics 

 show that the estimated lumber cut for 1907 is 417,000,000 feet, as 

 against an actual cut of 387,000,000 feet during 1906. It can 

 scarcely lie expected that this prospective increase of 30,000,000 

 feet will be realized. This analysis of supply for the year to come 

 carries out the prophecy that has been made by the Hardwood 

 Record for some weeks past that the supply of hardwoods from that 

 state will be short and that prices will surely, on the basis of supply 

 and demand, show an upward tendency. Undeniably, an analysis 

 of the condition of the present and prospective supply of hardwoods 

 in Wisconsin will show a very close parallel to that of Michigan, 

 save that the quantity will be considerably less. In fact, it is fair 

 to presume that the total output of Wisconsin for 1907 will not be 

 very much in excess of 300,000,000 feet. It is well known that the 

 dry stock in Wisconsin is fully as closely sold up as it is in Michi- 



gan, and that like weather conditions during the logging season have 

 prevailed. 



In the hardwood producing sections of the South there has 

 been a couple of weeks of good weather and of receding waters, 

 which has enabled loggers to again resume operations. It is very 

 likely that the majority of mills will receive a fair quota of logs and 

 that sawing will now be resumed on a normal scale. In the Mem- 

 phis district, which depends very largely on railroads for log sup- 

 plies, the capacity of the mills will probably not be reached this 

 season, owing both to the shortage of the general log supply and to 

 the. fact that there is insufficient railroad capacity to transport the 

 logs. Good weather conditions have also contributed to letting the 

 mountain mills again get into operation and nearly all of them are 

 now sawing lumber. The river mills are fairly well stocked with 

 poplar and they will have a stock of reasonably dry lumber by mid- 

 summer. However, as a good many logs delivered on the extremely 

 high tides of the past few months have laid out for several seasons, 

 there will be only a moderate supply of the good end produced, 

 owing to rotted sap and stained timber. 



Oak of all kinds still remains in very active demand and prices 

 are ranging high. Even quartered red oak, which has been quite 

 sluggish for a while, is receiving a fair call, and a good many 

 transactions have been made in this variety of late. 



The foreign demand for both thin oak and thin gum continues 

 very strong and exporters are shipping just as fast as their stocks 

 reach a fairly merchantable condition. 



The call for vehicle and furniture dimension stock is manifestly 

 increasing and buyers seem willing, in view of the high price of 

 lumber, to pay a much increased price for this variety of product. 

 The flooring trade is active. The present demand is fully up to 

 the capacity of the factories and quite a number of new establish- 

 ments for the production of oak, maple and beech flooring are 

 projected. Among other hardwoods seeking recognition as a flooring 

 material gum may be mentioned. Several houses contemplate manu- 

 facturing this wood into flooring on an extensive scale, as it is 

 meeting with the approval of many large buyers. 



The veneer situation is very spotted. The old-time operators, 

 who have had long experience and training in the manufacture of 

 veneers and panels, seem to be having an excellent trade at fair 

 prices, but there are others new to the business who are not succeed- 

 ing in making any money out of their enterprises. In spite of the 

 active demand, quite a number of veneer plants have closed down 

 simply because the managers have failed to make any money. 



The enhanced price of oak is tending to constantly increase the 

 consumption of and consequent demand for mahogany, and in most 

 of the mahogany distributing centers stocks are very short and prices 

 firm, though not unduly high. High-class Cuban wood seems to be 

 in better supply than that from Africa and Central America. 



The Status of the Merchant in the Hardwood Business. 



Under conditions that have prevailed iu the hardwood trade dur- 

 ing the last eighteen months', the average lumber jobber avers that 

 he is being crowded out of business by reason of increased cost in 

 buying and assembling stocks and in marketing his lumber. Some 

 even go so far as to say that they think they can see the beginning 

 of the end for the hardwood jobber. This observation refers not 

 only to the dealer who carries stocks of lumber at trade centers, but 



