34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



the ash which will be manufactured has been 

 contracted for next season and at a good ad- 

 vance. In the early part of the year maple 

 was very dull— in fact the dullest item in the 

 list, but it has picked up and contracts for 

 stock for nest season delivery are being made 

 at $1.75 and .S'J above this year's quotations. 

 Elm has been doing better of late, but birch still 

 holds dull. Dealers report no excess of dry 

 lumber. Many of the mills in this part of the 

 state have shut down. 



Bristol, Va.-Tenn. 



There is a marked tendency toward increase 

 in the volume of hardwoods manufactured in 

 Ibis section and steady gains are manifest. 

 Manufacturers and wholesalers say they are 

 rushed to the limit of their capacity and the 

 outlook for spring business was never brighter. 

 Buyers coming into this section are rinding thai 

 it takes high prices to get the stock as the 

 demand has been unusually heavy recently 

 and to some extent exceeded the supply. Good 

 dry oak is in greal demand and this wood con- 

 tinues in the lead. The demand for poplar 

 is holding up and the prices are better than 

 they have been for some time. Neatly all of 

 the mills are supplied with logs, Inn in many 

 eases the supply is running low and some few 

 mills have had to close down until they could 

 catch up. 



There continues great activity in the rich 

 rial fields of Virginia and there is now more 

 railroad building in progress in this section 

 than ever has been before in its history. In a 

 year or two this section will be covered with 

 a network of railroads and the timber will 

 nearly all be accessible. 



The yards are pretty general!; depleted and 

 the heavy demand for lumber of all kinds 

 keeps tin- stock moving as soon as it comes 

 from the mill ready for the market. 



Cincinnati. 



At the end of 1906 the general sentiment in 

 1 lie lumber market is still strong. The pros- 

 pers of beginning the new year with a rush 

 is evident. But for the shortage of cars, a 

 better activity would develop and many of the 

 orders on file for delivery in December would 

 he supplied. oak of all descriptions is very 

 stmng in this market, especially in t lie larger 

 dimensions. The supply hardly meets the de- 

 mand and additional stocks are coming in 

 slowly. Trices show a tendency to firmness. 

 Red gum has received added impulse in the last 

 fortnight, but prices remain the same. Good 

 poplar probably is the strongest feature in the 

 market. Good yellow stork is meeting with 

 great demand and the supply is not sufficient. 

 Inferior southern poplar sells at prices slightly 

 below the list, but good stock is held steadily. 

 The paucity of the supply of hemlock has caused 

 a slight stiffenine in prices, and while no more 

 business was done than the preceding weeks, 

 it is entirely due to the limited supply, and 

 dealers ate holding for higher prices. Cypress 

 meets with a fairly active demand for all items 

 and prices are, if anything, a little firmer than 

 during the previous months. Common lumber 

 of all kinds is very firm, largely due to the ab- 

 sorbing of it by box manufacturers, who have 

 done an unusually large volume of business this 

 year. ' 



St. Louis. 

 On tie- whole the present volume of business 

 in hardwoods in St. Louis is not as heavy as 

 mighl be expected at this time of "year. Furni- 

 ture factories, implement works and other es- 

 tablishments using large quantities of hard- 

 woods are preparing for the annual Invoicing, 

 which naturally keeps them out of the market 

 pt for immediate wants. There are numer- 

 small orders being received for prompt de- 

 livery, which makes up in' some measure for 

 the lack of larger ones. Dealers have for the 

 past few weeks devoted most of their time to 

 accumulating stock for the spring trade and for 



the most part have been fairly successful, con- 

 sidering the adverse conditions in producing 

 territory and the car shortage. 



Plain oak stocks are of fair size in most yards 

 and of good quality, while the demand is some- 

 what quiet. Quartered oak finds only a limited 

 demand and stocks are consequently adequate 

 for almost any future requirement. Ash and 

 poplar are very scarce and have advanced in 

 price recently. Demand is active. Cottonwood 

 and gum are also scarce, with the demand 

 strong and the tendency of prices upward. 



Memphis. 

 Conditions surrounding production have not 

 shown much change for the better. There 

 have heen further rains in this section during 

 the past fortnight which have prevented a re- 

 sumption of logging operations on even a small 

 scale and which have made it certain that 

 little or nothing will be accomplished in 

 this direction until after the turn of the year. 



firm in North Memphis says that il had 



several million feet of timber in sight at this 

 time last year and that now it lias no more 

 than 700,000 feet. It predicts for itself sus- 

 pension of operations before the middle of 

 February. There are other firms here which 

 are not in as good position as the one just 

 quoted and the outlook for production even 

 in the larger centers is y^vx discouraging. In 

 the interior there are comparatively few mills 

 in operation and an even smaller number run- 

 ning on full time. The forecast that this year 

 would witness the smallest available supply 

 "f timber for the winter, made several months 

 ago in these columns, has been fully realized, 

 condition- in tliis respect being even worse 

 than looked for. 



Louisville. 

 There has developed during the last week 

 an exciting situation in the whisky cooperage 

 branch of the hardwood market, brought about 

 as a result of the recent sitting of the Pure 

 Food Commission here and its ruling on the 

 question of blended whisky. The practical put- 

 ting of blended whisky' under the ban has been 

 followed by ;i stampede to buy and operate dis- 

 tilleries, and this in turn has produced a de- 

 mand for whisky barrels which the coopers 

 cannot hegin to meet. One man was lamenting 

 because he had offered S4 a barrel and had been 

 unable to obtain any at that figure, hut one of 

 the prominent coopers here says it would have 

 been the same if he had offered $10 a barrel. 

 The final effect of this will he a greater hustling 

 in the woods for staves than ever and a keener 

 bidding for white oak stumpage. The situation 

 in The lumber market is all that could be de- 

 sired in point of demand, and about the worse 

 thing the trade has to contend with is the car 

 shortage. Some buyers may be letting up in 

 their efforts for the end of the year" stock- 

 taking season, but as far as the trade here is 

 concerned in most lines it is not enough to 

 have any effect, because there are plenty of 

 unfilled orders to keep them busy even if no 

 more were coming along right now. And there 

 is plenty coming along all the time to call for 

 more stock than is available, except possibly in 



quartered oak. The low grades in hardw 1 



have probably advanced more sharply in price 

 than anything else, and especially is this true 

 with poplar, cottonwood and gum. Sap com- 

 mon gum is worth here today about $19.50, 

 and shipping cull poplar and cottonwood from 

 $21 to $22.50, and. regardless of price, there 

 doesn't st-em to he enough to meet the demand. 



Minneapolis. 



The future is playing an important part in 

 the calculation of both dealers and consumers. 

 Wholesalers are active in contracting for new 

 stocks. They are getting out to do business 

 with the mill men for next year's product much 

 earlier than usual, and in greater numbers. 



Stocks of oak and ash are particularly sought 

 after. The indications are that a much larger 

 proportion of next year's cut will be bought 

 up and controlled by the strong dealers than in 

 former years. Some of the large consumers are 

 also going direct to mills to contract for green 

 stock. Logging conditions are reported very- 

 bad, both north and south, and everywhere be- 

 cause of too much water. The northern mills 

 will all run. but they will have a short supply 

 of logs in most cases, and the total production 

 will show a decrease. Higher prices are gener- 

 ally anticipated. As dry stock is now held in 

 very limited quantities, the market is extremely 

 firm. Gooa" lumber is easily sold, either for de- 

 livery now or some time after the first of the 

 year. Buyers are not haggling much as to 

 prices. They want the stock, and are willing 

 to pay any price within reason if it is satisfac- 

 tory. They are aware of the fact that all hard- 

 wood except birch is in very limited supply, 

 and birch cannot be said any longer to show a 

 surplus. The low grade stock is well cleaned 

 up and considerable is being sold at mill run 

 figures. Basswood is being snapped up quickly 

 whenever offered, and storks are low. Consid- 

 erable stock on band is already sold, and most 

 dealers have only broken assortments left to 

 supply their trade. In two or three months 

 more an actual shortage is predicted by some. 



Liverpool. 



'I lie mahogany sale priees quite fulfil what 

 was prophesied some weeks ago that easier 

 prices were coming. Prices weir distinctly 

 lower at these sales, and no doubt at the next 

 sales a further drop will be sustained. 



Trade is only quiet here in view of the close 

 • if the year, at which time most of the buyers 

 make up their accounts for the year, and this 

 i perhaps only natural. 



Values in oak boards, planks and logs are 

 keeping firm, and wagon oak planks and panel. 

 cabinet and coffin planks are good sellers. Prime 

 coffin oak planks are particularly firm, and will 

 bring good prices. sires-, should be put on the 

 prime, however. So-called coffin oak is sent here 

 which is shaken and rough, and shippers should 

 be careful what they send out as coffin oak. 

 A 6 — 6" length, for example, is of no use what- 

 ever if shaken at the end. 



Shippers are taking much more care as to 

 shipping on consignment lately, which is appre 

 ciated here. 



London. 



There has been a general falling off in the trade 

 for This month, which, however, is not unusual 

 with the approach of the holidays, and the fact 

 that most of the yard-keepers take the oppor 

 t unity of the slack time to go through their 

 stn«ks and balance their books. The arrivals 

 id' lumber have heen light and all of the new 

 Stocks have gone to buyers' yards direcl from 

 the quays. 



There is a fair call for whitewood of 

 all grades", but most of the shippers' selling 

 agents have withdrawn prices. This buyers have 

 taken without excitement, as it has been diffi- 

 cult for them to get higher prices from con- 

 sumers owing to the dull state of trade. Plain 

 oak is in moderate demand, with a better call 

 for quartered. Walnut demand is mostly for 

 medium quality. In satin walnut good me- 

 dium boards are selling at top priees ami sto< I> 

 are light. 



POPLAR 



Rough and Dressed 



SOUTHERN HARDWOODS 



M. A. HAYWARD 



1021 Saving and Trust Bldg., Columbus, O 



